By Parrot Newspaper INVESTIGATIVE REPORT: NDLEA Bursts Multinational Drug Syndicate, Seizes N6.5bn Narcotics Across Nigerian Ports, Airports
By Investigative Journalist, Ricky Awodi| Parrot Newspaper
A sophisticated international drug trafficking network with deep links to the United Kingdom and South Africa has been dismantled in Nigeria following a sweeping operation by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), uncovering narcotics worth over N6.5 billion at strategic ports and airports.
At the heart of this crackdown were seizures from both the Port Harcourt Ports Complex in Rivers State and the Apapa Seaport in Lagos, where operatives intercepted a staggering haul of more than six million opioid pills—including Tapentadol, Tamol, and Carisoprodol—as well as 332,000 bottles of codeine-based cough syrup. According to insiders, the contraband was hidden in cargo containers tracked for weeks through intelligence-led surveillance after suspicious routing patterns were flagged by NDLEA’s counter-narcotics unit.
A Port Watchlist and a Painkiller Pipeline
Investigations reveal that the drug shipments had been funneled through newly mapped trafficking routes, forcing the agency to place certain containers on high-alert for physical inspection. The high-value seizure in Port Harcourt occurred during a joint operation between NDLEA, Nigeria Customs, and other security operatives between May 19 and 20, 2025. Two separate containers were found to be stuffed with over six million pills of high-strength opioids and 162,000 bottles of codeine syrup.
A similar bust followed at the Apapa Port on May 22, where 170,000 additional bottles of codeine syrup were recovered. All containers involved had reportedly been flagged weeks earlier based on electronic manifest discrepancies and tip-offs from international partners.
British Nationals Arrested in Undercover Sting at Lagos Airport
Perhaps the most telling sign of the syndicate’s reach came days earlier, on May 15, when a covert surveillance operation at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) led to the arrest of four suspects—including two British nationals—attempting to smuggle 92 bags of “Loud,” a potent cannabis strain, weighing 51.1kg.
Acting on processed intelligence from abroad, NDLEA agents allowed 30-year-old British national Mhizha Jordan Alexander Tatendra to pass unhindered through customs upon arrival on a Qatar Airways flight from Doha. Unknown to him, officers trailed him closely through the terminal to the parking lot, where he rendezvoused with three co-conspirators: Ayedipe Andrew Adejuwon (a dual Nigerian-British citizen), Shonowo Oluwaseun Imole, and Ofuoma Omokaro Ayobami, the group’s designated driver.
As they attempted to exit the airport in a waiting SUV, operatives moved in and apprehended them, seizing the entire consignment on-site.
Follow-up Search Yields Cash, Nitrous Canisters, Electronics
Further probing led agents to a high-end apartment in Lekki linked to Adejuwon. A raid on the residence uncovered N3.81 million in cash, an Apple MacBook, an iPhone 14 Pro Max, and four canisters of nitrous oxide—commonly abused as a recreational “laughing gas” high. An additional N93,000 and 17,200 South African Rand were recovered from Adejuwon during his initial arrest.
According to NDLEA spokesperson Femi Babafemi, the syndicate operated with a clear division of labor and cross-border coordination. Tatendra reportedly confessed to being recruited during a holiday and was promised £1,300 for a successful delivery of the consignment.
Expansion of Operations: Forest Raids and Concealed Lorries
In a related sweep, the agency destroyed over 77,000kg of cannabis sativa (“skunk”) across farms in Cross River and Edo States. A 30-hectare cannabis plantation at Esuk-Odot village in Odukpani LGA was razed on May 22, yielding 200kg of processed skunk, while another 1,957.5kg was destroyed in forest raids in Ovia South-West and Owan West LGAs of Edo between May 23 and 24.
Elsewhere in Nasarawa State, NDLEA officers intercepted a lorry in Keffi loaded with 4,000kg of skunk concealed beneath raw timber. Two suspects, Sunday Daniel, 51, and Abu Peter, 30, were arrested at the scene. Another individual, Godwin Obi, 39, was caught with 154.5kg of skunk in Karu on May 21.
Transnational Crime and a Growing Web
The scale and coordination of the NDLEA’s operations point to a wider, well-resourced drug network leveraging both sea and air routes, foreign recruits, and local collaborators. Investigations are ongoing, with the agency reportedly liaising with international partners, including the United States Drug Enforcement Administration (US-DEA), to trace the origins and financiers of the syndicate.
Meanwhile, questions remain over how such large quantities of controlled substances repeatedly made it into Nigeria’s ports and how high up the drug cartel chain these recent arrests reach.
Parrot Newspaper will continue to follow this story as more revelations unfold.