Two charged with international drugs trafficking offences
Investigation involves UK and Nigerian police following seizure of cocaine
Quick Look
- A man and a woman from London have been charged with international drug trafficking after 180kg of cocaine was seized in the UK.
- The arrests follow a joint investigation with Nigerian authorities, who also discovered a similar amount of cocaine in Lagos.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
The arrests are linked to the seizure of 180kg of cocaine in the UK and a separate discovery of 184.5kg of cocaine in Lagos.
A man and a woman have been charged with international drugs trafficking offences as part of an investigation involving police in the UK and Nigeria.
Oladipupo Atandare, 50, from Dagenham and Latifat Yusuf, 44, from Hornchurch were arrested following the seizure of more than 180kg (397lb) of cocaine in the UK on 5 August.
They appeared at Barkingside Magistrates Court on 8 August and were remanded in custody. They will next appear at Snaresbrook Crown Court on 7 September.
The Metropolitan Police said the arrests related to solely the UK drugs seizure, but inquiries are continuing into the discovery of a similar-sized amount of cocaine in Nigeria.
On Tuesday Nigerian authorities said they had discovered 184.5kg of cocaine, worth about £20m, in brown boxes at a courier facility in Lagos.
There have been a series of arrests in Nigeria, including a logistics company employee and a social media influencer with nearly 700,000 followers on Instagram.
What to Watch
AI outlook — possibilities, not facts
Defendants to appear at Snaresbrook Crown Court on 7 September.
Very likely · Within weeks
Open Questions
- Are the UK and Nigerian seizures directly linked to the same criminal network?
- What is the identity of the social media influencer arrested in Nigeria?
