The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has uncovered and dismantled a major opioid cartel operating from a concealed warehouse within a residential estate in Lagos State, recovering illicit drugs valued at more than ₦6.7 billion.
According to a statement issued in Abuja on Wednesday by the NDLEA’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, the breakthrough followed a meticulously planned operation that led to the arrest of suspected kingpin Onyekachi Pius Nwanagu and five members of his network.
Babafemi disclosed that intelligence had revealed the syndicate was preparing to distribute over 7.2 million tramadol 225mg pills and 526,200 bottles (52.6 million millilitres) of codeine syrup, all stored in a residential building at 23 Sunny Billa East Street, Bucknor, Isheri area of Isolo, Lagos.
With the festive season approaching, operatives of the NDLEA’s Special Operations Unit launched a coordinated raid between 19 and 20 November 2025, targeting the syndicate’s supply chain and logistics routes.
On Wednesday, 19 November, operatives trailed and apprehended two members of the gang — Egbo Innocent Udalor and Chukwe Emmanuel — at Apple Junction in Festac as they attempted to convey 300 cartons of opioids in a truck.
A follow-up raid the next day at the cartel’s warehouse resulted in the arrest of the suspected baron, Nwanagu, along with Nwoye Sunday Ali, Nnacho Ogochukwu, and Oraghalia Chukwuebuka Philip.
In total, the NDLEA recovered 7,272,000 tramadol pills worth ₦3.96 billion and 53 million millilitres of codeine syrup valued at over ₦2.762 billion, all of which were evacuated from the estate in eleven trucks and transferred to the Agency’s central exhibit complex in Lagos.
Chairman and Chief Executive of the NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (rtd.), commended the officers involved, describing the operation as a decisive victory against criminal networks profiting from the spread of hard drugs across the country.
“This is not just an arrest; it is a clear and unambiguous statement,” Marwa said. “The seizure of such a colossal volume of illicit drugs, which could have fueled addiction, crime, and insecurity, is a victory for the Nigerian people and confirmation of our unwavering commitment to the mandate given by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.”
He further stressed that the Agency remains focused on taking down the financiers and masterminds behind drug trafficking operations.
“The days when drug barons thought they were untouchable are over,” he said. “This arrest, achieved after an intensive intelligence operation, is a stark reminder that the long arm of the law will reach every merchant of death, no matter how well-concealed they believe they are.”
