Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have apprehended a 59-year-old international drug trafficker, Ogbonnaya Kevin Jeff, who had evaded arrest for 17 years.
He was arrested at his hideout in the Ojo area of Lagos following a high-level intelligence operation.
Addressing journalists in Abuja on Monday, the Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (retd.), disclosed that Ogbonnaya had been under surveillance by the agency’s Special Operations Unit, acting on an INTERPOL Red Notice and intelligence from the National Intelligence Service of South Korea.
“This arrest marks a significant milestone in our efforts to dismantle drug trafficking networks operating within and beyond Nigeria. Ogbonnaya Jeff was not just a drug trafficker but the mastermind of a global syndicate responsible for smuggling narcotics to the Far East,” Marwa stated.
According to NDLEA records, Ogbonnaya had previously served a one-year prison sentence in South Korea in 2007 for drug-related offences before being deported to Nigeria in 2008. However, instead of ceasing his illicit activities, he resumed coordinating drug shipments to the Far East, recruiting young Nigerians as couriers.
Marwa revealed that a search of his residence at No. 3, Ibukunoluwa Taiwo Close, off LASU Road, Lagos, led to the discovery of multiple Nigerian international passports belonging to different individuals, many of which contained Korean visas. Also found were illicit substances stored at the back of his house.
“Our investigations show that many Nigerians arrested abroad for drug trafficking had direct links to Ogbonnaya. He also laundered proceeds of his drug trade through the importation of electronics and other goods,” Marwa added.
The NDLEA boss disclosed that Ogbonnaya had been orchestrating drug shipments remotely, working with accomplices across multiple countries, including Cameroon, Ghana, Burkina Faso, Liberia, and several East and Southern African nations.
“Between December 2023 and April 2024, he directed two couriers, Santa Elizabeth Pieterse and Carl Yohan Stephan Brisman, to smuggle five kilograms of methamphetamine into South Korea via international flights,” Marwa stated.
Further investigations revealed that on October 5, 2023, the suspect concealed 6,051.06 grams of skunk inside dried chillies and jujube and sent it from Burkina Faso to a Korean associate, Kim Dong Wook, in Jinju City, South Korea. The package, shipped via Air France, arrived at Incheon Airport on October 19, 2023.
“In recent operations alone, he has sent illicit drugs worth over N1.4 billion in street value to South Korea,” Marwa disclosed.
NDLEA further revealed that Ogbonnaya maintained a domestic carrier, known as ‘Asa,’ who delivered drug consignments to a warehouse in South Korea operated by his Nigerian accomplice, Okori Emmanuel.
Currently, the Seoul Central District Court has issued two arrest warrants against him—one in January 2024 and another in June 2024—charging him with narcotics importation under Article 3-7 of South Korea’s Narcotics Control Act, an offence punishable by life imprisonment.
Reaffirming the agency’s resolve, Marwa assured that NDLEA remains dedicated to ensuring Nigeria does not serve as a hub for international drug trafficking operations.
“We will not allow drug barons to turn Nigeria into a breeding ground for illicit trade. Our collaboration with international agencies remains strong, and we will continue to hunt down traffickers wherever they hide,” he vowed.
