NDLEA operatives have dismantled a cocaine trafficking syndicate in a three-week intelligence-led operation, intercepting consignments hidden in palm kernel extract tins bound for the UK and raiding the packaging warehouse.
NDLEA
The operation began on March 11, 2026, when officers at Murtala Muhammed International Airport’s Strategic Command in Ikeja, Lagos, seized 3.10 kilograms of cocaine concealed in tins at the export shed. Two suspects, Idris Olayiwola Amoo and Akinlami Akinsoji Adedoyin, were arrested on the spot.
A sting operation on April 2 led to the arrest of the consignment sender, Ezemuwo Joel, using the alias Ajayi. This uncovered the syndicate’s kingpin, 52-year-old King Arinze, who was nabbed at a hideout in Isolo, Lagos.
Operatives then raided Arinze’s warehouse at 11 Ola Ifa Street, Bucknor, Isolo, recovering 886 tins of palm kernel extract ready for concealment, a sealing machine, tin openers, paint sprays, 52 grams of cannabis sativa, and a pack of hand gloves. Arinze confessed to draining the oil from tins to hide the cocaine, NDLEA spokesperson Femi Babafemi stated.
