The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has uncovered and dismantled a major drug cartel operating out of a residential estate in Lagos, arresting six suspects and recovering illicit opioids valued at more than N6.7 billion.
The breakthrough came after weeks of intelligence gathering, revealing that the syndicate planned to distribute over 7.2 million tramadol pills and 526,200 bottles of codeine syrup ahead of the Christmas season. The drugs were stored inside a hidden warehouse located at 23 Sunny Billa East Street, Bucknor, Isheri, Isolo.
In a coordinated operation carried out between November 19 and 20, 2025, operatives of NDLEA’s Special Operations Unit intercepted two cartel members — Egbo Innocent Udalor and Chukwe Emmanuel — at Apple Junction, Festac, while they were transporting 300 cartons of opioids in a truck.
A subsequent raid on the warehouse led to the arrest of the alleged kingpin, Onyekachi Pius Nwanagu, along with other accomplices identified as Nwoye Sunday Ali, Nnacho Ogochukwu, and Oraghalia Chukwuebuka Philip.
The NDLEA confirmed that a total of 7,272,000 tramadol 225mg pills, valued at N3.96 billion, and 53 million millilitres of codeine syrup, worth N2.76 billion, were seized and transported in 11 trucks to its central exhibit facility in Lagos.
NDLEA Chairman/CEO, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (rtd), described the operation as a significant victory in the fight against drug trafficking, praising the professionalism of the operatives involved.
“This is not just an arrest; it is a clear and unambiguous statement,” Marwa said. “The seizure of this colossal volume of illicit drugs — capable of fueling addiction, crime, and insecurity — is a victory for the Nigerian people.”
He reaffirmed the agency’s focus on hunting down drug barons and financiers, warning that “the days when drug kingpins believed they were untouchable are over.”
Marwa added that the successful raid demonstrates President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s support for efforts to dismantle criminal drug networks and protect Nigerian youth from substance abuse.
