The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has declared a couple, Kazeem Omogoriola Owoalade (alias Abdul Qassim Adisa Balogun) and Rashidat Ayinke Owoalade (alias Bolarinwa Rashidat Ayinke), wanted for dealing in illegal substances.

This follows the arrest of four syndicate members in Lagos, where a Sports Utility Vehicle was seized, and two houses linked to them were sealed for forfeiture to the federal government.

Femi Babafemi, the NDLEA’s Director of Media and Advocacy, disclosed this in a statement on Sunday. He revealed that two syndicate members, Imran Taofeek Olalekan and Ishola Isiaka Olalekan, were arrested on April 3, 2024, attempting to export 3.40 kg of cocaine on a Qatar Airlines flight to Oman from Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos.

According to Babafemi, Imran was transporting the drugs to Oman, while Ishola had recruited him for the cartel led by Alhaji Kazeem Omogoriola Owoalade, who operates under the alias Abdul Qassim Adisa Balogun in India.

Babafemi explained that efforts to dismantle Owoalade's network in Nigeria succeeded after five weeks of surveillance. Another syndicate member, Hamed Abimbola Saheed, was arrested on May 14 in Abule Egba, Lagos. Saheed had lodged Imran in a hotel the day before his trip to Oman and dropped him and Ishola at the airport.

A search of Saheed's house led to the recovery of 900 grams of phenacetine, a cocaine cutting agent. Saheed admitted that the substance was the remainder of the consignment Imran was to transport to Oman. His arrest led to a raid on the Owoalade couple's home in Ogudu Orioke, Lagos, where another suspect was detained, and a new model Toyota RAV4 SUV, 400 grams of cocaine, suitcases prepared for drug concealment, digital weighing scales, and other paraphernalia were seized.

In another operation, NDLEA officers at a courier firm in Lagos intercepted two parcels containing cocaine and amphetamine concealed in steel bolts and shea butter on May 15. The cocaine, weighing 587 grams, was hidden in eight steel bolt screws destined for China, while the amphetamine was packed in vape pens and concealed in shea butter, headed for the UK.

Babafemi also announced the thwarting of an attempt by Emeka Nwadiaro (a.k.a Mega) to export 3.6 kg of Loud, a cannabis strain, concealed in 36 water flasks to Dubai. Nwadiaro was arrested in Onitsha, Anambra state, following a swift follow-up operation on May 16.

Additional operations resulted in significant seizures and arrests, including 840 kg of cannabis in a Mercedes Benz bus in Lagos, 75,000 opioid pills in Benue, 3.85 kg of Loud concealed in a gas cylinder in Imo, and 91.1 kg of opioids and 13 kg of cannabis hidden in a petrol tanker in Yobe.

Four suspects were arrested with 2,025 pieces of improvised explosive devices (IED) materials intercepted in Niger state. These arrests led to further detentions in Sokoto and Kano.

Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Retd), NDLEA Chairman/Chief Executive, has directed the transfer of the four suspects and the explosive materials to the appropriate security agency for further investigation. Marwa praised the NDLEA officers for their recent achievements and emphasized the agency's crucial role in the country's security framework. He also commended the efforts of all command units nationwide for their balanced approach to drug supply and demand reduction activities.