NDLEA Nabs Woman Who Hid ₦5bn Cocaine in Children’s Room

• The NDLEA has arrested a suspected female drug kingpin after a 20-month manhunt, recovering over ₦5 billion worth of cocaine and intercepting multiple drug shipments in coordinated operations across Lagos and beyond.

Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested a suspected female drug kingpin and key member of a notorious trans-border cocaine trafficking syndicate, following a 20-month manhunt.

The arrest was disclosed on Sunday by the agency’s spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, who said the operation was part of sustained intelligence-led efforts to dismantle a drug cartel previously led by Bolanle Lookman Dauda and Olayinka Toheebat Dauda.

According to the NDLEA, the cartel was smashed in coordinated operations across Lagos and Ogun states in May 2024, leading to the arrest of the couple along the Lagos–Badagry Expressway as they attempted to transport cocaine across the land border to Ghana. A total of 57.5 kilograms of cocaine were recovered from them during the operation and subsequent searches of their residence.

Babafemi said continued surveillance later identified a 39-year-old woman, Shodunke Yetunde Simbiat, as a major stash keeper for the syndicate. She was arrested at her residence in Surulere, Lagos, on December 9, 2025.

A search of her home reportedly led to the discovery of 23.5 kilograms of cocaine concealed in a suitcase kept in her children’s room. The suspect allegedly admitted ownership of the drugs, which the agency estimated to have a street value exceeding ₦5 billion.

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In separate operations, NDLEA officers at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, intercepted a 36-year-old businessman, Nwanwene Robinson Destiny, with 1,020 pills of tramadol and tapentadol concealed in his luggage while attempting to travel to Milan, Italy.

Another suspect, 48-year-old Beninoise national Leocardi Josu, was arrested at the Seme border while allegedly attempting to enter Nigeria with 3,400 tablets of tramadol. Meanwhile, a 30-year-old man identified as Abdullahi Adamu was apprehended along the Okene–Lokoja highway with 28.4 kilograms of skunk and synthetic cannabis.

The NDLEA reaffirmed its commitment to dismantling drug trafficking networks and preventing illicit substances from circulating within and beyond Nigeria.