The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), in collaboration with international law enforcement agencies, has dismantled a transnational criminal syndicate allegedly involved in laundering drug proceeds worth hundreds of billions of naira across Europe and Nigeria.
The agency disclosed this in a statement issued on Thursday by its Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, in Abuja.
According to the NDLEA, the operation led to the arrest of an alleged billionaire drug baron, Amadi Simon, in Switzerland, alongside two suspected female kingpins in Nigeria, while multiple assets, bank accounts, and cryptocurrency wallets linked to the network were identified and blocked.
The agency described the operation as one of its most significant international financial crime breakthroughs in recent years, following months of intelligence gathering and coordinated investigations involving its Special Operations Unit, the United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Lagos Country Office, and law enforcement agencies in Switzerland, France, and Greece.
Babafemi said the multi-country operation culminated in the simultaneous arrest of Simon in Switzerland, 34-year-old Jecinta Amara Ikechi in Anambra State, and 28-year-old Blessing Ngozi Amadi in Agbor, Delta State, on April 28, 2026.
Investigators said the syndicate allegedly operated a sophisticated money laundering network using shell companies, proxy operators, conventional banking systems, and cryptocurrency platforms to conceal proceeds from narcotics trafficking across multiple jurisdictions.
The NDLEA and its international partners also traced several high-value properties allegedly linked to the syndicate, including Jovi Hotel in Asaba, Jovi Hotel and Suites in Agbor, and Jovi Apartments in Abuja, all believed to have been acquired with proceeds from drug trafficking and related financial crimes.
Authorities said several bank accounts and cryptocurrency wallets connected to the network have since been identified and blocked as investigations continue.
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), said the operation reflects the agency’s zero-tolerance stance against narcotics trafficking and financial crimes.
Marwa said the successful crackdown sends a strong message that Nigeria will not serve as a haven for international drug traffickers or money laundering syndicates, stressing that strategic cooperation with global enforcement agencies remains critical in tackling increasingly sophisticated transnational criminal organizations.
He also commended the support of the U.S. DEA and other foreign agencies for intelligence sharing, tactical coordination, and operational assistance.
The NDLEA assured that investigations remain ongoing as authorities intensify efforts to dismantle the syndicate’s remaining financial and operational structures.
The latest breakthrough comes amid an intensified nationwide crackdown by the anti-narcotics agency, which has in recent months recorded multiple seizures, arrests, and convictions linked to major drug trafficking and illicit financial networks across the country.
