By Wellington Jopelo
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a woman suspected to be a major figure in an international cocaine trafficking network earlier busted across Lagos and Ogun states.
The suspect, Shodunke Yetunde Simbiat, was picked up nearly two years after NDLEA operatives dismantled a cartel led by a married couple, Bolanle Lookman Dauda and Olayinka Toheebat Dauda, who were intercepted in May 2024 while allegedly moving cocaine toward the Ghana border.
During that earlier operation, officers recovered dozens of cocaine blocks weighing over 57 kilograms from the couple and their residence in Agbara, Ogun State, with the drugs valued at several billions of naira.
NDLEA said sustained intelligence work later exposed Simbiat, 39, as a trusted stash keeper within the same syndicate. She was tracked to her home in Surulere, Lagos, on December 9, 2025, where officers discovered cocaine carefully hidden inside a suitcase kept in her children’s room.
The seized drugs weighed about 23.5 kilograms and were estimated to be worth more than ₦5 billion on the street. The suspect reportedly admitted ownership of the consignment.
In separate operations across the country, NDLEA officers also intercepted other drug suspects and large quantities of illicit substances. At the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos, a businessman heading to Italy was arrested with over 1,000 pills of controlled opioids concealed in his luggage. He reportedly said he was promised €200 for delivering the drugs abroad.
At the Seme border, officers arrested a foreign national attempting to enter Nigeria with thousands of tramadol tablets, while another suspect was nabbed along the Okene–Lokoja highway with a large haul of cannabis.
Further raids in Oyo, Osun, Kaduna and other states led to the recovery of hundreds of thousands of tramadol capsules, synthetic drugs, and cannabis, with several suspects taken into custody.
Commending the nationwide operations, the NDLEA leadership praised its officers for their vigilance and urged them to sustain the momentum, especially during the festive season, as the agency intensifies efforts to disrupt drug trafficking networks across the country.