A Nigerian couple, Agbakoba John Mmadu and Agbakoba Ijeoma Chinwe, supposedly leading a high-profile cocaine syndicate based in Lagos, were apprehended by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).
The couple was detained along with one of their associates, Okoye Ifeoma Maryjane, during a raid where large amounts of the class A drug intended for export and local distribution were seized.
Femi Babafemi, the NDLEA’s Director of Media and Advocacy, disclosed in a statement on Sunday that a special operations unit carried out a raid on a notorious drug syndicate following months of intelligence gathering and surveillance. The syndicate is involved in packaging, distributing, and trafficking cocaine within Nigeria and internationally.
Babafemi explained, “The 54-year-old Agbakoba John Mmadu was apprehended at Ago Palace Way, Okota, while his 39-year-old wife, Agbakoba Ijeoma Chinwe, and their 31-year-old associate, Okoye Ifeoma Maryjane, who also served as their stash keeper, were caught at Plot 2205 Eugene Ndubisi Close, Lilly Estate, Amuwo Odofin area of Lagos, all on Wednesday, 3rd July 2024.
He added, “While seven parcels of cocaine with a total weight of 7.652 kilograms were found in Mmadu’s possession at Ago Palace Way, not less than one hundred and twenty-two (122) compressed pellets of the same drug weighing 2.42kg were seized from Ijeoma and Ifeoma at Lilly Estate, bringing the total seizure to 10.1 kilograms valued at over N2.1 billion in street value.”
