Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), working in collaboration with the United States Drug Enforcement Administration (US-DEA) Lagos Country Office and law enforcement agencies in Switzerland, France and Greece, have dismantled a transnational criminal organisation involved in large-scale drug money laundering operations across Europe and Nigeria.
The coordinated multi-country operation led to the arrest of alleged billionaire drug baron, Amadi Simon, in Switzerland, alongside two female associates identified as 34-year-old Jecinta Amara Ikechi in Anambra State and 28-year-old Blessing Ngozi Amadi in Agbor, Delta State.
According to the NDLEA, the arrests followed months of intelligence gathering and investigations across several jurisdictions, which linked Amadi and his network to the laundering of hundreds of billions of naira generated from drug trafficking and other financial crimes.
The agency disclosed that the criminal network operated through an elaborate web of shell companies, front businesses, pass-through accounts, delegates, and multiple cryptocurrency and traditional bank accounts used to conceal and move illicit funds within and outside Nigeria.
Investigators also traced and identified several multi-billion-naira assets allegedly connected to the syndicate. The properties include Jovi Hotel located at 1 Isiayei Street, GRA Phase 1, Asaba, Delta State; Jovi Hotel and Suites at 4 Orikeze by Deeper Life Road, Agbor, Delta State; and Jovi Apartment at Jamieson Court, Mabushi, Abuja.
The NDLEA further revealed that numerous bank accounts and cryptocurrency wallets linked to the cartel had been identified and blocked as part of efforts to disrupt the syndicate’s financial operations.
Speaking on the success of the operation, NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brigadier General Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), said the outcome of the multi-year international investigation demonstrates the agency’s zero tolerance for narcotics trafficking and financial crimes.
Marwa stated that the operation sends a strong warning to criminal networks that Nigeria will not serve as a safe haven for drug traffickers or a sanctuary for proceeds of crime.
He commended the support and collaboration of the US-DEA and other international partners, noting that the United States Mission in Nigeria has continued to assist the NDLEA through intelligence sharing, tactical training, evidence collection, case management support and the provision of operational equipment.
He added that the NDLEA would continue to strengthen international partnerships to combat drug trafficking and related 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. Built upon a foundation of strategic partnership, unwavering integrity, and dedicated professionalism, the NDLEA is committed to ensuring that Nigeria is neither a haven for drug traffickers who profit from illicit substances nor a sanctuary for their criminal proceeds,” Marwa said.