Nigeria: NDLEA - How Drug Lord Serving Jail Sentence in Nigeria Attempted Exporting Cocaine to UK

15 February 2026

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) says it has foiled a prison-coordinated cocaine export attempt.

Convicted drug kingpin, Michael Oladimeji Olashupo, had attempted to export 1.10 kilograms of cocaine concealed in processed cassava granules, popularly known as garri, to London, United Kingdom on a Virgin Atlantic flight.

The convict, who was arrested in 2025, is currently serving a five-year jail term at the Ikoyi Correctional Centre, Lagos.

The agency revealed this at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos.

Oladimeji was said to have coordinated the export through his logistics company. A staff member who presented the cargo was arrested, according to the agency.

In another operation, NDLEA officers in Abuja discovered 59.2 grams of "Canadian Loud," a potent cannabis strain, concealed inside a children's toy guitar, leading to the arrest of the consignment owner.

Meanwhile, a raid on a duplex in Ikate-Elegushi, Lekki, Lagos, uncovered a factory producing "Colos," a synthetic cannabis variant. Officers seized 13.2 kilograms of the substance along with precursor chemicals and arrested suspects linked to the operation.

Additional raids nationwide led to the seizure of over 105,000 tramadol pills in Kwara, 563.5 kilograms of skunk in Edo forests, and the arrest of several suspects in Oyo State with methamphetamine, cannabis, cash, and vehicles.

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