Operatives of National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested a fugitive member of a cocaine trafficking syndicate in Lagos.
Gatekeepers News reports that in a statement issued by Femi Babafemi, NDLEA spokesperson, the agency revealed that it also recovered a large quantity of the drug hidden inside a children’s room.
The agency noted that the suspect, Shodunke Yetunde Simbiat, was a key member of a trans-border cocaine cartel dismantled in Lagos and Ogun states nearly 20 months ago.
Babafemi said the 39-year-old alleged stash keeper was arrested on December 9, 2025, at her residence on Onasanya Street, Surulere, Lagos, after prolonged intelligence gathering and surveillance by NDLEA operatives.
The statement reads, “Determined to rein in every member of the syndicate, NDLEA operatives continued with follow-up intelligence and surveillance on the trans-border drug trafficking organisation until a 39-year-old female stash keeper, Shodunke Yetunde Simbiat, was identified as a key member.”
The agency said a search of her home led to the discovery of cocaine concealed in a suitcase kept in her children’s room.
It said, “A thorough search of her home led to the discovery of blocks of cocaine weighing 23.50 kilograms concealed in a black suitcase recovered from her children’s room.”
NDLEA added that the suspect admitted ownership of the seized drugs, which it said are valued at over N5 billion on the street.
In a separate operation, NDLEA officers at the Terminal II departure hall of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, arrested a 36-year-old businessman, Nwanwene Robinson Destiny, on December 18 while he was attempting to board a Royal Air Maroc flight to Milan, Italy.
He was found with 1,020 pills of tramadol 225mg and tapentadol 200mg concealed in his luggage. The suspect reportedly told investigators that the successful trafficking of the opioids to Italy would have fetched him two hundred euros (€200) from the person he was to deliver them to.
Also on December 18, NDLEA operatives at the Seme border area of Badagry, Lagos, arrested a 48-year-old Beninoise national, Leocardi Josu, with 3,400 tablets of tramadol 225mg.
Along the Okene-Lokoja highway in Kogi State, a 30-year-old suspect, Abdullahi Adamu, was arrested on December 19 with 28.4 kilogrammes of skunk and Colorado, a synthetic strain of cannabis.
In Oyo State, NDLEA officers recovered 125,000 capsules of tramadol and 1,800 ampoules of pentazocine injection from a Toyota Hiace bus along the Lagos-Ibadan expressway on December 19.
Two other suspects, Ogunlade Kazeem and Adeleke Ismail, were arrested at Challenge Motor Park, Ibadan, on December 17 with 185.4 kilogrammes of skunk.
Reacting to the series of operations, NDLEA chairman, Buba Marwa, commended the officers involved and urged personnel across the country to maintain high standards during the festive period.
He charged officers to remain extra vigilant during the festive season and ensure that the highest standard of professionalism is maintained in all their drug supply reduction and drug demand reduction activities throughout the period and beyond.
