NDLEA ARRESTS A JAMAICAN AND FOUR OTHERS AFTER SEIZING N193 BILLION IN CRACK IN LAGOS [WATCH]

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) seized 18 tons (1,855 kilograms) of cocaine worth more than $278,250,000 (over N194 billion) on the black market.

The illicit drugs, which appear to be the largest single seizure in the history of Nigeria's premier anti-narcotics agency, were seized on Sunday, September 18 during a raid at a major warehouse in Lagos' Ikorodu neighborhood.

The NDLEA's spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, said in a statement on Monday, September 19, that four drug barons and one other person, including a Jamaican and the warehouse manager, were arrested in a well-coordinated and intelligence-led operation that spanned two days in various locations across Lagos state.

"Cocaine cartel kingpins in custody include Messrs Soji Jibril, 69, of Ibadan, Oyo state; Emmanuel Chukwu, 65, of Ekwulobia, Anambra state; Wasiu Akinade, 53, of Ibadan, Oyo state; Sunday Oguntelure, 53, of Okitipupa, Ondo state; and Kelvin Smith, 42, of Kingston, Jamaica."

They are all members of an international drug ring that the DEA has been investigating since 2018.

The warehouse was raided on Sunday, and the barons were apprehended between Sunday night and Monday in various parts of Lagos.

According to preliminary findings, the class A drugs were warehoused in the residential estate from which the cartel attempted to sell them to buyers in Europe, Asia, and other parts of the world. "They were stored in ten travel bags and thirteen drums," according to the statement.

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