Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have taken into custody a 59 years old wanted drug baron, Ogbonnaya Jeff, ending his 17-year reign of allegedly shipping illicit drugs worth over N1.4 billion globally between Nigeria and other countries.
Ogbonnaya, identified as the leader of an international drug trafficking syndicate, came under the NDLEA’s radar after an Interpol red notice and intelligence from South Korea linked him to smuggling narcotics, with his operations traced through multiple foiled attempts between 2007 and 2024.
The Chairman of NDLEA, Buba Marwa who confirmed the arrest during a press briefing disclosed that the suspect’s name first surfaced in 2023, when a package containing 6,051.06 grams of skunk, concealed in dried chillies and jujube, arrived at Incheon Airport, South Korea after Ogbonnaya dispatched the items from Burkina Faso to a Korean recipient, Kim Dong Wook.
The chairman said that investigations later revealed that the suspect, from his house in Nigeria, orchestrated the shipment, with financial trails showing he laundered proceeds through imported electronics and goods.
Days after this interdiction, between December 2023 and April 2024, two drug mules, Santa Elizabeth Pieterse and Carl Yohan Stephan Brisman, were intercepted smuggling five kilograms of methamphetamine into South Korea, confessing they were hired by Ogbonnaya.
The suspect further relied on an associate named Asa, who connected him to Okori Emmanuel, a supply manager in South Korea, facilitating additional drug consignments uncovered during the probe.
While the manhunt intensified, NDLEA operatives finally arrested Ogbonnaya in Lagos where he had been hiding to engage in the illicit business. Marwa stated, “ As we have said four years ago when we began the reform of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), our prime targets are drug barons and other important figures that organise drug trafficking rings. On Wednesday, 12th February 2025, we achieved that objective in the successful arrest of Ogbonnaya Kevin Jeff, a 59-year-old drug baron. The suspect was arrested at his hideout at No. 3, Ibukunoluwa Taiwo Close, off LASU Road, Lagos.“
The chairman further stated that a search of Ogbonnaya’s residence led to the recovery of multiple Nigerian passports with Korean visas and illicit substances in a storehouse at the back of his house.
According to Marwa, a financial investigation traced his syndicate’s operations across Cameroon, Ghana, and beyond, leading to the freezing of related bank accounts before his eventual capture.
Reacting to the development, the Chairman commended the Special Operations Unit stating “The arrest of Ogbonnaya is an affirmation of our resolve to work with our international partners to ensure no drug baron finds Nigeria a comfort zone to distribute illicit substances within the country or traffic them to other countries.”
