The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, has carried out one of its biggest operations of the year, dismantling a major opioid cartel operating out of Lagos and recovering illicit drugs valued at more than N6.7 billion.
The raid, driven by intelligence gathered over several weeks, led to the arrest of a suspected kingpin and five other members of his network.
According to a statement issued on Wednesday by the agency’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, the breakthrough followed credible reports that the syndicate had been stockpiling and distributing large quantities of tramadol and codeine across the country.
The group was reportedly preparing to flood the market with millions of pills and bottles of syrup ahead of the festive season, when demand typically spikes.
Babafemi disclosed that operatives traced the cartel’s warehouse to a residential compound at 23 Sunny Billa East Street in Bucknor, Isheri, within the Isolo axis of Lagos.
Inside the facility, agents uncovered 7.2 million pills of tramadol 225 mg and more than 526,000 bottles of codeine syrup—together amounting to a massive street value of N6.7 billion.
The volumes were so large that the NDLEA needed 11 trucks to evacuate the exhibits to its central storage facility.
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The operation unfolded between November 19 and 20, beginning with the arrest of two members of the syndicate at Apple Junction in Festac, where they were intercepted while transporting 300 cartons of opioids in a truck.
A follow-up raid the next day at the Bucknor warehouse resulted in the arrest of additional suspects and the collapse of the drug network’s Lagos base.
NDLEA Chairman, retired Brigadier-General Buba Marwa, commended the operatives involved, noting that their work delivered a severe blow to criminal groups feeding addiction and insecurity across the country.
He described the bust as more than a routine seizure, calling it a decisive message to traffickers who believe they can operate beyond the reach of the law.
Marwa stressed that the agency’s focus remains on dismantling the leadership and financiers behind such syndicates.
He declared that the era when drug barons considered themselves untouchable had come to an end, adding that every individual driving the illegal trade would eventually face justice regardless of how well concealed they believe they are.
He assured Nigerians that the agency would sustain its nationwide crackdown, targeting the pipelines, warehouses, and financial structures enabling illegal drug distribution.
Investigations into the arrested suspects are ongoing, and the NDLEA says more arrests could follow as intelligence continues to unfold.
