A man and a woman have been charged with international drug trafficking offences following an investigation involving police in the UK and Nigeria.
Oladipupo Atandare, 50, from Dagenham, and Latifat Yusuf, 44, from Hornchurch, were arrested after more than 180kg (397lb) of cocaine was seized in the UK on 5 August.
They appeared before Barkingside Magistrates Court on 8 August and were remanded in custody. They are due to appear at Snaresbrook Crown Court on 7 September.
The Metropolitan Police said the arrests relate solely to the UK drug seizure, while investigations continue into the discovery of a similar quantity of cocaine in Nigeria.
On Tuesday, Nigerian authorities announced the seizure of 184.5kg of cocaine, valued at about £20m, found in brown boxes at a courier facility in Lagos.
Several people have been arrested in Nigeria, including an employee of a logistics company and a social media influencer with almost 700,000 Instagram followers.
Afolabi Kazeem Michael, 49, known online as KC Luxury, described himself as a businessman and influencer involved in gold and luxury goods and frequently shared videos featuring his expensive cars.
Nigerian law enforcement agencies have accused him of being the Nigerian “arrowhead” of an international drug cartel.
