The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has declared wanted, a couple, Kazeem Omogoriola Owoalade (alias Abdul Qassim Adisa Balogun) and Rashidat Ayinke Owoalade (alias Bolarinwa Rashidat Ayinke), who run a cocaine cartel from India.
In a statement on Sunday, spokesman of the NDLEA, Femi Babafemi, said this follows the arrest of four members of the syndicate in Lagos.
He said a Sports Utility Vehicle was recovered and two houses already traced to them sealed for forfeiture to the Federal Government.
"Two members of the syndicate: Imran Taofeek Olalekan and Ishola Isiaka Olalekan were arrested on April 3, 2024 following their bid to export 3.40kg cocaine on a Qatar Airlines flight going to Oman through the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) Ikeja Lagos."
"While Imran was the courier conveying the drug consignment to Oman, Ishola recruited him for the head of the cartel, which investigation has now revealed to be Alhaji Kazeem Omogoriola Owoalade whose Indian residence permit bears Abdul Qassim Adisa Balogun based in India.
"Efforts to dismantle his network in Nigeria paid off after five weeks of surveillance and follow up operations when another member of the syndicate, Hamed Abimbola Saheed who works directly with the baron was arrested on Tuesday 14th May at Abule Egba area of Lagos," Babafemi said.
He noted that it was indeed Saheed who lodged Imran in a hotel a day before his aborted trip to Oman and equally dropped him and Ishola at the Lagos airport the day they were arrested.
During a search of Hamed house, NDLEA operatives recovered some phenacetine, a cutting agent for Cocaine, weighing 900 grams and confessed that the recovered substance was what was left of the consignment Imran was taking to Oman the day he was arrested.
Hamed's arrest led to a follow up operation at the home of the Owoalade couple at 20 Eyiaro street, Ogudu Orioke, Lagos, where another suspect was arrested and a new model Toyota RAV4 SUV marked FKJ-773 JJ belonging to Rashidat and additional 400 grams of Cocaine recovered in addition to already prepared suitcases to be used for illicit drug concealment, digital weighing scales and other paraphernalia.
Equally, no less than four suspects were arrested in connection with the seizure of 2,025 pieces of improvised explosive devices (IED) materials intercepted in a Toyota hummer bus marked AGL 905 XX by NDLEA officers along Agaie-Lapai road, Niger State.
Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters
Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox
While the duo of Abdulrauf Shitu Adeyemi, 46, and Asmiyu Rahim, 45, conyeying the IED materials were arrested on the spot, follow up operations led to the arrest of Husaini Abdullahi, 25, at Sokoto main market, in Sokoto State and Nazifi Abdullahi, 37, at Naibawa Motor Park, in Kano State on Friday 17th May.
The Chairman/Chief Executive of NDLEA, Brig Gen Mohamed Buba Marwa (Retd). has directed that all four suspects and the explosive materials be transferred to the appropriate security agency for further investigation.
