By Jemimah Wellington, JKNewsMedia Reporter
A 59-YEAR-old drug baron, Ogbonnaya Kevin Jeff, accused of running a global narcotics trafficking network, has been arrested in Lagos after 17 years of evading law enforcement.
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) apprehended him at his hideout in the Ojo area, marking a significant breakthrough in Nigeria’s battle against illicit drug cartels.
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig Gen Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), disclosed the arrest at a press briefing in Abuja on Monday, 3rd March 2025.
He detailed how NDLEA’s Special Operations Unit had tracked Ogbonnaya for years following an Interpol Red Notice and intelligence from the National Intelligence Service of South Korea.
“This arrest affirms our resolve to dismantle drug trafficking syndicates. As we stated four years ago during the NDLEA’s reform, our primary targets are drug barons who orchestrate these criminal enterprises,” Marwa stated.
Ogbonnaya, who has been under NDLEA investigation for years, allegedly recruited young Nigerians as drug couriers to smuggle narcotics into South Korea.
Marwa revealed that many Nigerians arrested abroad for drug-related crimes were linked to his operations.
Intelligence gathered indicates that he laundered proceeds from drug trafficking by importing electronics and other goods.
A search of his residence led to the discovery of multiple Nigerian international passports belonging to different individuals, many containing Korean visas. Authorities also found illicit substances in a storehouse at the back of his house.
Marwa described Ogbonnaya as more than a local drug trafficker, noting that he operated on an international scale.
“He was convicted in South Korea in 2007 and served a one-year prison sentence before being deported to Nigeria in 2008.
However, he resumed his illicit operations, actively coordinating drug trafficking rings across multiple continents,” he added.
According to NDLEA’s findings, Ogbonnaya is currently wanted in South Korea for multiple drug offences. An Interpol Red Notice was issued for his arrest and extradition over drug-related crimes committed between 2023 and 2024.
Investigations revealed that he directed a trafficking network responsible for smuggling drugs into South Korea, operating through a syndicate that spans Cameroon, Ghana, Burkina Faso, Liberia, and other East and Southern African countries.
One of his drug shipments, intercepted on 19th October 2023 at Incheon Airport, involved 6,051.06 grams of skunk concealed in dried chillies and jujube.
The consignment, sent from Burkina Faso, was addressed to a Korean national, Kim Dong Wook, in Jinju City, Gyeongsangnam-do, South Korea.
Further findings exposed how Ogbonnaya coordinated couriers, including Santa Elizabeth Pieterse and Carl Yohan Stephan Brisman, to smuggle five kilograms of methamphetamine into South Korea between December 2023 and April 2024.
His operations reportedly trafficked illicit drugs valued at over N1.4 billion in street worth.
Authorities identified another domestic courier, known as “Asa,” who delivered drugs to a warehouse managed by Okori Emmanuel, a Nigerian who served as Ogbonnaya’s supply manager in South Korea.
The Seoul Central District Court has issued two arrest warrants against Ogbonnaya, in January and June 2024, for importing narcotics, an offence punishable by a maximum life sentence under South Korea’s Narcotics Control Act.
Marwa assured that NDLEA remains committed to preventing Nigeria from becoming a hub for international drug trafficking.
“We will continue to work with global partners to disrupt drug networks. No drug baron will find Nigeria a safe haven for their criminal enterprise,” he affirmed.
