Billionaire Drug Baron, Two Female Kingpins Nabbed Over International Drug Money Laundering Operation

A major international operation led by the NDLEA, in collaboration with the US-DEA and law enforcement agencies from Switzerland, France, and Greece, has dismantled a transnational drug money laundering syndicate operating across Nigeria and Europe.

The suspects include billionaire alleged drug baron Amadi Simon, arrested in Switzerland, alongside two alleged accomplices, 34-year-old Jecinta Amara Ikechi arrested in Anambra, and 28-year-old Blessing Ngozi Amadi arrested in Delta State on April 28, 2026.

They were reportedly arrested over their involvement in laundering drug proceeds estimated to run into hundreds of billions of naira.

Investigators say the network used shell companies, front businesses, crypto transactions, and multiple bank accounts to conceal illicit funds across borders. Months of intelligence sharing across countries led to coordinated arrests and asset tracking.

Several properties linked to the syndicate have been traced as proceeds of crime, including hotels in Asaba and Agbor, Delta State, as well as an apartment in Abuja. Multiple bank accounts and cryptocurrency wallets used to move illegal funds have also been frozen.