NDLEA Nabs Female Drug Kingpin in Lagos, Seizes 23.5kg Cocaine Hidden in Children’s Room

Nigeria’s anti-drug agency has arrested a suspected female drug kingpin in Lagos, uncovering a major cocaine stash concealed inside her home in what authorities describe as a significant breakthrough against a trans-border trafficking syndicate.

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) said its operatives arrested Shodunke Yetunde Simbiat at her residence in Surulere, Lagos, where 23.50 kilograms of cocaine were recovered from a room reportedly used by her children.

The arrest comes nearly 20 months after NDLEA dismantled a cocaine trafficking cartel led by a husband-and-wife duo, Bolanle Lookman Dauda and Olayinka Toheebat Dauda, during operations spanning Lagos and Ogun states.

In a statement issued on Sunday, the agency’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, said the couple were intercepted on May 25, 2024, by a special operations unit along the Lagos–Badagry Expressway while attempting to smuggle cocaine across the land border into Ghana.

At the time of their arrest, 42 blocks of cocaine weighing 47.5 kilograms were allegedly found in their possession. A follow-up raid on their home in Agbara, Ogun State, led to the recovery of an additional 10 kilograms, bringing the total seizure linked to the couple to 57.5 kilograms.

Determined to dismantle the entire network, NDLEA operatives sustained intelligence-led surveillance, which later identified Simbiat, 39, as a key stash keeper within the drug trafficking organisation.

She was tracked to her home at Onasanya Street, Surulere, where a search uncovered the cocaine hidden inside a black suitcase. NDLEA said Simbiat admitted ownership of the drugs, which investigators estimate have a street value exceeding ₦5 billion.

In related operations across the country, NDLEA operatives at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, intercepted a 36-year-old businessman, Nwanwene Robinson Destiny, who was allegedly attempting to fly to Milan with 1,020 pills of tramadol and tapentadol concealed in his luggage. He reportedly told investigators the drugs would have earned him €200 on delivery.

At the Seme border, a 48-year-old Beninoise national, Leocardi Josu, was arrested with 3,400 tablets of tramadol, while in Kogi State, a suspect, Abdullahi Adamu, was apprehended with 28.4 kilograms of skunk and synthetic cannabis along the Okene–Lokoja highway.

Further seizures were recorded in Oyo State, where officers recovered 125,000 capsules of tramadol and 1,800 ampoules of pentazocine from a commercial bus, alongside the arrest of two suspects with 185.4 kilograms of cannabis. In Osun State, a raid on the Owena/Ijesha forest led to the seizure of 405 kilograms of skunk and the arrest of one suspect.

Commending the operations, NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brigadier General Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), praised officers across several commands for their vigilance and professionalism. He urged continued alertness during the festive season to curb drug trafficking and related crimes nationwide.