Wanted Drug Baron Arrested as NDLEA Uncovers Massive Drug Shipments and Foreign Currency in Lagos Hideout

A suspected major drug baron who allegedly operated under the guise of a businessman and hotelier has been arrested by operatives of the Special Operations Unit of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) in Lagos.

The suspect, identified as 42-year-old Frank Chijioke Ibemesi, also known as Chisco Bee, is the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Franc CJ Ibemesi Nig Ltd. He was arrested in the early hours of Saturday, 15th November 2025, at his Daisy Garden Hotel located at 66–68 Agbeke Street, Ago Palace Way, Isolo, Lagos, following weeks of intelligence gathering and surveillance on his alleged criminal activities.

After his arrest, NDLEA operatives led him to a warehouse at 7 Pius Ezeobi Street, off Ago Palace Way, Isolo, where 42 jumbo bags and four cartons of “Loud”, a high-grade strain of cannabis, were recovered. The consignment weighed a total of 1,762.8 kilograms. In addition, officers recovered foreign currency in cash from him at the point of arrest, including $11,600 (US Dollars), 2,000 British Pounds, 2,200 Euros and 50 Canadian Dollars, suspected to be proceeds of illicit drug trafficking.

Massive Skunk Seizures Across Multiple States

The arrest in Lagos is part of a broader nationwide operation in which NDLEA operatives intercepted and seized large quantities of skunk, a potent strain of cannabis, in several states across the country.

In Osun State, a syndicate operating within the Orita-Apeje, Araromi-Okeodo forest reserve in Ife South Local Government Area was disrupted after days of surveillance by NDLEA officers. On Tuesday, 11th November, operatives moved in and thwarted an attempt to load and distribute a massive consignment of processed skunk weighing 11,135 kilograms. Two trucks used for transporting the drugs—a Volvo truck marked WWR 29 XA and a Mercedes truck with registration number AWK 713 YZ—were seized. Seven suspects were arrested in connection with the operation. They were identified as: Lucky Abiodun, Julius Amos, Victor Ngbikili, Sunday Oduegwu, Ibrahim Akanni, Eze Godstime, and Fred Ifeanyichukwu.

In Edo State, NDLEA operatives recovered a total of 1,902.1 kilograms of skunk in separate operations. On Thursday, 13th November, 184.1kg was discovered along a bush path at Oza/Igbanke Road in Igbanke, Orhionmwon Local Government Area. The next day, Friday, 14th November, 672kg was evacuated from Utese forest in Ovia North East LGA. On the same day, officers intercepted a Mercedes Benz car marked DE311BEN along the Benin–Akure road and recovered 494kg of skunk, arresting a 45-year-old suspect identified as Felix Edah. Another suspect, 51-year-old Lucky Abagha, was also arrested in a separate Mercedes Benz vehicle marked JJJ 56 JW conveying 552kg of the same substance.

In Ogun State, four suspects—Micheal Okoh, Offor Agada, Raphael Nkemjika and Nwabueze Franklin—were arrested along the Ijebu-Ode expressway with 68kg of skunk and 3.150kg of methamphetamine. In Taraba State, NDLEA officers arrested 50-year-old Danjuma Tukura with 172kg of skunk in Sunkani area of Ardo Kola LGA, while 24-year-old Wisdom Titus was apprehended with 84kg of skunk in the Takum area.

Further north, in Adamawa State, NDLEA operatives on Friday, 14th November intercepted 396,000 capsules of tramadol from a suspect, 50-year-old Ahmed Isyaku Nda, at the Aliyu Mustapha International Airport in Yola. In Nasarawa State, 785kg of skunk was evacuated from the warehouse of a drug dealer currently on the run at Asob Maraba Karu.

Expanded Operations in Lagos and Kwara Strengthen Nationwide Crackdown

NDLEA’s Lagos Command also recorded multiple seizures linked to high-grade cannabis variants popularly known as “Loud”. On Friday, 14th November, two suspects, Jamiu Kunle Kardoso and Oriyomi Waliu, were arrested in the Surulere area with 130 pouches of Canadian Loud weighing 65.150kg. That same day, another suspect, Taofeek Moraina, was arrested at Otto, Oyingbo area of Lagos with 282 blocks of Ghana Loud, with a gross weight of 141kg.

In Kwara State, NDLEA operatives intercepted a truck marked T-0262KT along the Ilorin–Jebba expressway on Thursday, 13th November. The truck was found to be conveying 197 blocks of skunk weighing 78.565kg alongside 155 cartons of rubber solutions. The driver, identified as Umar Yakubu, was taken into custody. In a separate operation, a commercial bus with registration number KJA-657CY was intercepted at Eiyenkorin, Ilorin, on Wednesday, 12th November. Officers recovered 20 blocks of skunk concealed in a 50-litre jerry can, and the driver, Ibrahim Bello, was arrested.

These coordinated operations across Lagos, Osun, Edo, Ogun, Taraba, Adamawa, Nasarawa and Kwara States underscore the NDLEA’s intensified clampdown on major drug syndicates and trafficking networks that operate across state lines, utilising hotels, forests, warehouses, highways and commercial vehicles as cover for their illegal activities.

NDLEA Sustains War Against Drug Abuse Through Enforcement and Public Sensitisation

Beyond arrests and seizures, the NDLEA has continued to drive its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) through extensive sensitisation efforts aimed at discouraging drug use and trafficking, particularly among young people.

In the past week, Commands and formations of the agency across the country conducted awareness campaigns in schools, religious centres, workplaces and communities. These include WADA sensitisation lectures at Government Day Secondary School, Birnin Ruwa Gusau in Zamfara State; Holy Ghost Secondary School, Abakaliki in Ebonyi State; Government Science Technical School, Ringim in Jigawa State; City Girls Secondary School, Enugu; Randle Junior Secondary School, Surulere in Lagos; and Anglican Girls Grammar School, Obalende, Ijebu Ode in Ogun State, among others.

The public enlightenment programmes are part of a “balanced approach” adopted by the agency, combining vigorous law enforcement with sustained prevention and advocacy. By targeting young students, workers, worshippers and community members, NDLEA aims to reduce demand for illicit drugs while simultaneously dismantling supply networks.

While commending officers and men of the Special Operations Unit, as well as the Osun, Lagos, Edo, Ogun, Taraba, Adamawa, Nasarawa and Kwara State Commands for the series of arrests and seizures, the Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (rtd), urged them and their colleagues nationwide to maintain the momentum. He reiterated the agency’s commitment to a comprehensive, balanced drug control strategy, combining intelligence-led operations, inter-agency collaboration and continuous public sensitisation to protect communities from the scourge of illicit drugs.