Pastor, Wife Arrested for Drug Trafficking as NDLEA Uncovers Cocaine Syndicate

O Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested a pastor and his wife for alleged drug trafficking, as part of a wider crackdown that exposed a cocaine smuggling syndicate operating out of Lagos.

The suspects, Pastor Afolabi Hodonu and his wife, Success Hodonu, were apprehended at the Gbaji checkpoint in Badagry after officers discovered 11 kilograms of skunk concealed in hidden compartments of their vehicle.

Their arrest followed the earlier interception of a suspected trafficker, Sunday Samuel, who was caught transporting 24.5 kilograms of the same substance from the Seme border into Lagos.

Meanwhile, in a separate operation, NDLEA officers uncovered a cocaine trafficking network after intercepting 3.10 kilograms of the drug hidden in palm kernel oil cans at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport. The illicit consignment was bound for the United Kingdom.

Two suspects, Idris Olayiwola Amoo and Akinlami Akinsoji Adedoyin, were arrested at the airport, while further investigations led to the capture of the alleged sender, Ezemuwo Joel, and the syndicate’s kingpin, King Arinze, who was tracked to a hideout in Isolo.

NDLEA operatives also raided the kingpin’s warehouse, where hundreds of tins prepared for concealing cocaine, along with drug paraphernalia, were recovered.

In other operations across Borno State, Adamawa State, Osun State, Ondo State, Edo State, and Benue State, several suspects were arrested with large quantities of cannabis and tramadol.

Reacting, NDLEA Chairman, Mohamed Buba Marwa, commended the officers for the successful operations.

“These successful operations are a testament to the Agency's evolving intelligence capabilities and our unwavering commitment to choking the supply lines of drug cartels. Whether they hide behind legitimate businesses, religious titles, or complex concealment methods, we will find them,” he said.