The Traffic

British Drug Smugglers Nabbed as NDLEA Uncovers ₦6.5bn Worth of Narcotics in Lagos and Rivers

By Achimi Muktar

In one of the most dramatic anti-drug crackdowns in recent times, operatives of Nigeria’s National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have dismantled a multi-billion naira drug smuggling ring spanning international borders, seizing narcotics worth over ₦6.5 billion and arresting two British nationals and their Nigerian collaborators.

The coordinated operation, carried out across Lagos, Rivers, Cross River, Edo, Kaduna, Bauchi, and Yobe states, uncovered massive drug shipments and exposed a new web of international trafficking routes that drug cartels had begun to exploit.

The biggest shocker? The arrest of two British citizens—Mhizha Jordan Alexander Tatendra and Ayedipe Andrew Adejuwon—caught red-handed while attempting to smuggle 92 bags of Loud, a potent strain of cannabis weighing 51.10kg, into Nigeria via the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos.

Tatendra, who arrived from Doha aboard a Qatar Airways flight, walked through airport security without incident—under NDLEA surveillance. But the trap was already set. As he met with Adejuwon, his Nigerian-British accomplice, and two other Nigerians—Shonowo Oluwaseun Imole and Ofuoma Omokaro Ayobami—at the car park to hand over the shipment, NDLEA agents swooped in and made the arrests.

Tatendra later confessed he had been recruited during a vacation and was promised £1,300 to deliver the drugs. A follow-up raid on their Lekki apartment turned up ₦3.8 million in cash, 17,200 South African Rand, luxury gadgets including an iPhone 14 Pro Max and Apple laptop, and four canisters of laughing gas (Nitrous Oxide).

Acting on intelligence, NDLEA operatives also conducted high-profile raids at Nigeria’s key seaports—Onne Port in Rivers State and Apapa Port in Lagos—where they uncovered more than six million opioid pills (including Tamol 225mg, Tapentadol 225mg, and Carisoprodol 225mg) and over 332,000 bottles of codeine-based cough syrup.

“These seizures were the result of months of intelligence gathering and tracking of new trafficking routes adopted by cartels,” said NDLEA spokesman Femi Babafemi in a statement.

At the Port Harcourt port, six million pills and 162,000 bottles of codeine syrup were discovered in two containers between May 19 and 20. In Apapa, an additional 170,000 bottles of codeine syrup were uncovered on May 22.

The sting wasn’t limited to ports and airports. Across the country, NDLEA agents carried out simultaneous raids and interdictions:

In Cross River, 75,000kg of cannabis were destroyed on 30 hectares of illegal farmland in Esuk-Odot village, with 200kg seized.

In Edo, over 1,900kg of cannabis was destroyed in forest operations.

In Nasarawa, two men were arrested with 4,000kg of skunk hidden under timber in a lorry.

In Kaduna, a 22-year-old was caught with over 57,000 pills of tramadol and diazepam.

In Bauchi, 80 blocks of skunk (45kg) were seized.

In Yobe, a man was nabbed trying to smuggle 55 parcels of Colorado (a synthetic cannabis) into Chad.

In Niger State, nearly 100kg of compressed cannabis was intercepted in a Mercedes Benz.

Back in Lagos, a major bust at Osapa London in Lekki revealed a stash that read like a drug dealer’s inventory list: cocaine, methamphetamine, molly, Rohypnol, codeine, cannabis, and nitrous oxide. A second raid in Idasun, Ibeju Lekki, led to the arrest of Olamilekan Idowu and the seizure of 48kg of skunk.

The NDLEA’s sweeping operations send a clear message: No matter how sophisticated the cartel or where they hide—whether in luxury apartments or shipping containers—Nigeria's anti-drug force is watching.

“This is not just a crackdown—it’s a declaration,” Babafemi stated. “We’re dismantling trafficking networks and cutting off their roots, both foreign and local.”

With international involvement and billions in street value seized, this operation marks a significant milestone in the NDLEA’s war against drugs—and a rude awakening for anyone who thinks Nigeria is a safe route for drug smuggling.