The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a notorious drug kingpin, Ogbonnaya Kevin Jeff, who had been on the run for 17 years.
His capture follows an Interpol Red Notice and intelligence from the National Intelligence Service of South Korea.
NDLEA Chairman, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), made the announcement during a press briefing in Abuja on Monday.
He revealed that operatives of the NDLEA Special Operations Unit apprehended the 59-year-old suspect at his hideout in Ojo, Lagos on February 12, 2025.
Marwa disclosed that Ogbonnaya was the mastermind of an international drug trafficking syndicate that smuggled narcotics into South Korea and other partsof the world.
“Our records show that he recruited young Nigerians as drug couriers to smuggle illicit substances into South Korea. Many Nigerians arrested abroad for drug-related offences were linked to him.
He laundered drug proceeds through the importation of electronics and other goods,” Marwa said.
A search of his residence led to the recovery of multiple Nigerian passports containing Korean visas, along with illicit drugs stored at the back of his house.
Ogbonnaya had previously served one year in prison in South Korea in 2007 before being deported in 2008. However, he resumed drug trafficking and is currently wanted in South Korea for multiple offences committed between 2023 and 2024.
South Korean authorities issued two arrest warrants for him in January and June 2024 under Article 3-7 of the Narcotics Control Act, which carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.
According to NDLEA, investigations revealed that on October 5, 2023, Ogbonnaya shipped 6,051 grams of skunk, concealed in dried chilies and jujube, to a South Korean associate, Kim Dong Wook.
The package, valued at N1.4 billion, arrived at Incheon Airport via Air France on October 19, 2023.
Between December 2023 and April 2024, he also directed drug couriers Santa Elizabeth Pieterse and Carl Yohan Stephan Brisman to smuggle five kilograms of methamphetamine into South Korea via overseas flights.
The NDLEA said Ogbonnaya operated through a vast network spanning Cameroon, Ghana, Burkina Faso, Liberia, and Southern Africa. His Nigerian accomplice, “Asa”, delivered drug consignments to a warehouse managed by Okori Emmanuel, his supply manager in South Korea.
Marwa reaffirmed the NDLEA’s determination to rid Nigeria of drug traffickers, stating, “This arrest is a clear message that Nigeria will not serve as a base for international drug syndicates.
We remain committed to dismantling drug networks and working with global partners to combat illicit trafficking.”
