By NewsDesk
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a notorious drug kingpin, Ogbonnaya Kevin Jeff, who had been operating in the shadows for 17 years, shipping illicit drugs worth billions of naira across the world.
Jeff, 59, was apprehended at his hideout in the Ojo area of Lagos following an extensive manhunt by NDLEA operatives, acting on an INTERPOL Red Notice and intelligence from the National Intelligence Service of South Korea.
Announcing the arrest at a press briefing in Abuja on Monday, NDLEA Chairman Brigadier General Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd) described it as a major breakthrough in the fight against drug trafficking.
“The major development that warranted this special briefing pertains to the arrest of a drug lord who’s wanted across the world as the leader of an international drug trafficking organisation,” Marwa said. “Our prime targets are drug barons and those who organize drug trafficking rings, and today, we have achieved that objective.”
According to Marwa, Jeff had been under investigation for years due to his involvement in recruiting young Nigerians as drug couriers to smuggle illicit substances, particularly into South Korea.
“Our records reveal that many Nigerians apprehended outside the country for drug-related offences were linked to him,” he disclosed. “We have established that he laundered drug proceeds through the importation of electronics and other goods.”
During the raid on his residence at No. 3, Ibukunoluwa Taiwo Close, off LASU Road, Lagos, NDLEA operatives discovered multiple Nigerian international passports with Korean visas belonging to different individuals, along with illicit substances stored in a hidden warehouse.
A Global Drug Syndicate
Marwa further revealed that Jeff was not just a local trafficker but an international drug syndicate leader with operations spanning Nigeria, South Korea, Cameroon, Ghana, Burkina Faso, Liberia, and other parts of Africa.
“Ogbonnaya Kevin Jeff is an international trafficker who continued his illicit trade even after serving a one-year prison sentence in South Korea in 2007 and being deported to Nigeria in 2008,” the NDLEA boss stated.
The agency’s investigation uncovered a series of drug shipments orchestrated by Jeff. In October 2023, he allegedly dispatched over six kilograms of skunk concealed in dried chillies and jujube to a Korean associate, Kim Dong Wook, in Jinju City, South Korea. He also directed couriers, including Santa Elizabeth Pieterse and Carl Yohan Stephan Brisman, to smuggle methamphetamine into South Korea between December 2023 and April 2024.
Extradition and Legal Proceedings
Jeff is currently wanted in South Korea for multiple drug-related offences. “Two arrest warrants have been issued against him by the Seoul Central District Court, charging him with importing narcotic drugs, a crime punishable by a maximum sentence of life imprisonment under South Korea’s Narcotics Control Act,” Marwa confirmed.
Assuring Nigerians of the NDLEA’s commitment to eradicating drug trafficking networks, Marwa stated, “We will continue our relentless fight against illicit drug networks and their financiers. The arrest of Ogbonnaya is an affirmation of our resolve to work with international partners to ensure no drug baron finds Nigeria a safe haven.”
Jeff’s arrest marks a significant victory for law enforcement in Nigeria’s ongoing battle against international drug cartels. He is expected to face prosecution in the coming days, with possible extradition proceedings to South Korea.