NDLEA arrests drug baron who has been in business for 17 years

The 17-year illicit drug trade of a 53-year-old drug kingpin, Ogbonnaya Kevin Jeff, has been brought to a halt following his arrest by operatives of the Nigerian Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).

Ogbonnaya was arrested by operatives of the NDLEA in his hideout in Ojo, a suburb of Lagos, on February 12.

The Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig Gen Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd), disclosed the details of his arrest on Monday.

“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. He has been under NDLEA investigation before his arrest,” said Marwa.

While speaking on Ogbonnaya’s long history as a drug trafficker, Marwa noted that he is not a typical drug baron.

The 53-year-old is the kingpin of a drug trafficking syndicate in the Republic of Korea and is currently wanted in the country for multiple drug trafficking offenses.

He had served a one-year sentence in Korea in 2007 and was deported to Nigeria in 2008, but this did not deter him from engaging in the illicit trade.

Investigations on his illicit trade revealed that he continued this trade when he returned to Nigeria.

Between 2023 and 2024, he smuggled five kilogrammes of methamphetamine into South Korea via overseas flights through members of his syndicate.

He has raked in billions through drug trafficking. “In recent time alone, he has sent illicit drugs worth over N1.4 billion in street value to South Korea,” said Marwa.

Members of his syndicate spread across different countries in East and Southern Africa, including Cameroon, Ghana, Burkina Faso, and Liberia.

He has been linked to other Nigerians who have been apprehended outside the country for drug-related crimes.

NDLEA operatives found multiple Nigerian international passports belonging to different individuals, many of which contained Korean visas and some illicit substances in his possession when his house was ransacked.