NDLEA finds cocaine hidden in cups, Body creams, busts drug cartel responsible for UK-bound shipments.
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has successfully dismantled two major drug cartels in Lagos, following a three-week series of intelligence-driven operations, which were connected to six cocaine consignments cleverly concealed in stainless cups, body cream, and hair gel containers, and resulted in the arrest of five suspects and the syndicate’s leader, Alhaji Hammed Taofeek Ode, who operates under the guise of a businessman and real estate developer.
In a statement, Femi Babafemi, the spokesperson for the NDLEA, revealed that the agency’s operatives at the export shed of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) in Ikeja, Lagos, intercepted 174 parcels of cocaine weighing 13.40 kilograms concealed in walls of cocoa butter body cream containers on 16th September 2025, initiating the demise of the criminal syndicate’s operations.
A cargo agent was promptly arrested. Further investigations revealed Alhaji Hammed Taofeek Ode as the mastermind of the shipment. Following weeks of intelligence gathering, it was established that the drug baron had reported a dispute at the Zone 2 headquarters of the Police in Lagos, after which the Agency sought the cooperation of the police to apprehend the suspect.
Ode admitted to owning the consignment during his initial interview, stating that he had purchased it for over N150 million. He described himself as a businessman and estate developer, having returned to Nigeria from the United Kingdom in 2024. His background includes residing in various European countries, such as Austria, Netherlands, France, Germany, and Saudi Arabia, for over 27 years prior to settling in the UK.
Similarly, five additional desperate attempts by another criminal syndicate to export cocaine consignments to the United Kingdom were thwarted by operatives of the MMIA Strategic Command of NDLEA. The unravelling of the gang began on 26th September following the seizure of 2.10kg cocaine concealed in walls of hair cream containers at the export shed of the Lagos airport.
On Tuesday, 30th September, the arrest of a cargo agent led to the apprehension of Smith David Korede, a furniture maker, at his premises located at 3 Arowojobe street, Mafoluku, Oshodi, Lagos, where an additional 1.40kg cocaine consignment intended for export to the UK was seized. Furthermore, on the same day, another 1.00kg cocaine consignment, employing a similar concealment method and destined for the UK, was intercepted at the airport’s export shed, and the cargo agent arrested in connection with this consignment identified Smith David Korede as the consignor, thereby linking him to three seized cocaine consignments.
On Thursday, 2nd October, NDLEA operatives seized two cocaine-laden consignments destined for the UK at the MMIA export shed. Two suspects, Ogunbiyi Oluseye Taiwo and Popoola Francis Olumuyiwa, were arrested in connection with the seizures. The consignments included crayfish, with 12 stainless cups and 36 hair cream containers used to conceal 1.00kg and 1.60kg of cocaine, respectively.
Following the arrests, Brigadier General Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the NDLEA, declared that the agency will sustain its efforts to target and dismantle every identified drug cartel at every level of their operations;
Credit : NDLEA
