NDLEA Collaborates US-DEA To Dismantle Transnational Drug Network
Abuja, Nigeria — May 7, 2026
Personnel of a Special Operations Unit of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), working in close coordination with the United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Lagos Country Office and law enforcement partners from Switzerland, France, and Greece, have successfully dismantled a transnational criminal organisation involved in drug money laundering operations across Europe and Nigeria.
The multi-country investigation into the drug money laundering syndicate led to the simultaneous arrest of an alleged billionaire drug baron, Amadi Simon, in Switzerland, alongside his co-conspirators, 34-year-old Jecinta Amara Ikechi in Anambra State and 28-year-old Blessing Ngozi Amadi in Agbor, Delta State, on Tuesday, April 28, 2026.
The operation followed months of intelligence gathering and investigations across multiple jurisdictions, which reportedly linked Amadi to the laundering of hundreds of billions of naira generated from drug trafficking and other financial crimes.
In addition to the arrest of the suspects, the NDLEA, in collaboration with its international law enforcement partners, traced multi-billion naira assets, including several bank accounts and cryptocurrency addresses allegedly used by the cartel to conceal illicit funds connected to Amadi’s transnational criminal network both in Nigeria and abroad.
Speaking on the coordinated operation involving the NDLEA, the United States DEA, and other international agencies, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), reiterated the agency’s determination to combat narcotics trafficking and associated financial crimes.
“The NDLEA remains relentless in its pursuit of those involved in narcotics trafficking and associated financial crimes, regardless of where they attempt to hide,” Marwa stated.
The agency noted that the operation reflects the growing level of international cooperation in tackling organised drug trafficking networks and financial crimes spanning multiple countries.
