Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, working in collaboration with the United States Drug Enforcement Administration, DEA, and security agencies from Switzerland, France, and Greece, have dismantled a transnational criminal network allegedly involved in laundering proceeds of drug trafficking and other financial crimes running into hundreds of billions of naira.
The multi-country operation culminated in the arrest of an alleged billionaire drug baron, Amadi Simon, in Switzerland, alongside two suspected accomplices identified as 34-year-old Jecinta Amara Ikechi, arrested in Anambra State, and 28-year-old Blessing Ngozi Amadi, apprehended in Agbor, Delta State. The coordinated arrests were carried out simultaneously on April 28, 2026, following months of intelligence gathering and investigations across several international jurisdictions.
According to the NDLEA, investigators uncovered what it described as an extensive and sophisticated drug money laundering network allegedly operated by Amadi and his associates across Europe and Nigeria. Authorities said the syndicate deployed a complex web of shell companies, proxy operators, cryptocurrency wallets, and multiple bank accounts to conceal and move illicit funds linked to narcotics trafficking and related crimes.
The anti-narcotics agency disclosed that several high-value properties connected to the alleged drug proceeds have already been identified both in Nigeria and abroad. Among the traced assets are Jovi Hotel located at Isiayei Street, GRA Phase 1, Asaba, Delta State; Jovi Hotel and Suites situated along Orikeze Road in Agbor, Delta State; and Jovi Apartment at Jamieson Court, Mabushi, Abuja. The NDLEA further revealed that numerous bank accounts and cryptocurrency addresses allegedly used by the cartel to launder illicit funds have been identified and blocked as part of the ongoing investigation.
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the NDLEA, Mohamed Buba Marwa, described the operation as a major breakthrough in the agency’s fight against transnational organized crime. He said the successful crackdown sends a strong warning to criminal networks operating within and outside Nigeria.
“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. He added that the agency’s operations are built on “strategic partnership, unwavering integrity, and dedicated professionalism.”
Marwa also commended the support of the United States DEA and other international partners for their role in dismantling the syndicate. According to him, the U.S. Mission in Nigeria has continued to support the NDLEA through intelligence sharing, training in tactical operations, evidence management, and the provision of operational equipment aimed at strengthening the agency’s capacity to combat global narcotics trafficking.
He stressed that Nigeria would not become “a haven for drug traffickers who profit from illicit substances nor a sanctuary for their criminal proceeds,” while reaffirming the agency’s commitment to deepening international cooperation in tackling organized drug-related crimes and illicit financial flows.
