Five members of two international drug trafficking cartels with links to Australia and Gabon have been sentenced to a total of 21 years imprisonment following their arrest at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos.
Their conviction followed the seizure of 68.9 kilograms of cocaine, Canadian Loud, and tramadol by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) during separate interdiction operations between July and August 2025.
In a statement on Thursday, the NDLEA’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, said three of the convicts — Olasupo Michael Oladimeji, Muaezee Ademola Ogunbiyi, and Sola Adegoke — were identified as leaders of a cartel attempting to smuggle 17.9 kilograms of cocaine cleverly concealed in textile materials and local charms bound for Sydney, Australia, on August 26, 2025.
Babafemi disclosed that a follow-up raid led to the recovery of 20.5 kilograms of Canadian Loud, a potent strain of cannabis, from Ogunbiyi’s residence in Lekki, and the seizure of a Range Rover SUV (RBC 459 EJ) from Adegoke’s home in Ikeja GRA.
The trio were arraigned before Justice Musa Kakaki of the Federal High Court, Lagos, on a five-count charge (FHC/L/925C/2025) and pleaded guilty on October 30, 2025.
Delivering judgment on October 31, Justice Kakaki sentenced each defendant to five years imprisonment without the option of a fine, making a total of 15 years.
The court also ordered the forfeiture of the Range Rover SUV and a Toyota Venza linked to the drug operations to the Federal Government.
In a related operation, NDLEA operatives also intercepted another cartel led by Obunike Joseph Obichukwu and Uzorchukwu Godspower Chukwurah, who attempted to smuggle 2.6 kilograms of cocaine and 27.9 kilograms of tramadol concealed in motor spare parts en route to Gabon through the same Lagos airport on July 19, 2025.
Both men were arraigned before Justice Ambrose Lewis-Allagoa of the Federal High Court, Lagos, on a six-count charge (FHC/L/980C/2025).
They pleaded guilty during their appearance on November 4, 2025.
Justice Lewis-Allagoa sentenced each defendant to three years imprisonment with an option of ₦2 million fine and ordered the forfeiture of ₦4 million paid by Obunike in an attempt to bribe NDLEA officers.
Babafemi described the convictions as “a major victory in Nigeria’s ongoing war against transnational drug trafficking networks using the country’s airports as export corridors.”
He added that the agency would continue to intensify surveillance and intelligence-led operations to dismantle cross-border narcotics cartels operating within and outside the country.
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