NDLEA Captures Notorious Drug Baron in Lagos After 17 Years on the Run

NDLEA Captures Notorious Drug Baron in Lagos After 17 Years on the Run

After nearly two decades of evading authorities, 59-year-old drug kingpin Ogbonnaya Kevin Jeff has finally been arrested by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) at his hideout in Ojo, Lagos. Jeff, who orchestrated the trafficking of illicit drugs worth billions of naira across the globe, was taken into custody following years of intelligence gathering and surveillance.

A Major Crackdown on International Drug Syndicates

Announcing the arrest in Abuja, NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig Gen Mohamed Buba Marwa (rtd), hailed the operation as a significant breakthrough in the agency’s ongoing battle against international drug cartels. He revealed that Jeff had been on the NDLEA’s radar, with assistance from an Interpol red notice and intelligence from South Korea’s National Intelligence Service.

“On Wednesday, February 12, 2025, we achieved a major milestone with the successful arrest of Ogbonnaya Kevin Jeff,” Marwa stated. The suspect was apprehended at No. 3, Ibukunoluwa Taiwo Close, off LASU Road, after years of tracking his movements. A raid on the premises uncovered multiple Nigerian international passports bearing different identities, many with Korean visas, as well as a storage facility filled with illicit substances.

An International Drug Trafficking Network

Jeff’s criminal operations spanned multiple countries, with syndicate members stationed in Cameroon, Ghana, Burkina Faso, Liberia, and across East and Southern Africa. The NDLEA disclosed that Jeff had previously served a one-year prison sentence in South Korea in 2007 before being deported to Nigeria in 2008. However, instead of abandoning his illegal trade, he resumed operations, recruiting young Nigerians as couriers and laundering drug proceeds through the importation of electronics and other goods.

Investigations revealed that Jeff masterminded elaborate drug smuggling operations, issuing remote directives to mules and domestic suppliers. In one instance, he concealed 6,051.06 grammes of skunk in dried chillies and jujube, sending the shipment from Burkina Faso to his South Korean accomplice, Kim Dong Wook, in Jinju City. The consignment, valued at over N1.4 billion, was intercepted at Incheon Airport on October 29, 2023.

Additionally, between December 2023 and April 2024, Jeff coordinated the smuggling of five kilogrammes of methamphetamine into South Korea, using couriers Santa Elizabeth Pieterse and Carl Yohan Stephan Brisman. Locally, he relied on a Nigerian associate known as “Asa” to transport drug consignments to a warehouse managed by Okori Emmanuel, another key player in Jeff’s South Korean supply network.

Facing Justice

As a result of his illicit activities, the Seoul Central District Court issued two arrest warrants for Jeff in 2024, charging him with multiple narcotics offences, which carry a potential life sentence under South Korea’s Narcotics Control Act.

Marwa reaffirmed the NDLEA’s commitment to dismantling drug trafficking networks and preventing Nigeria from being used as a hub for international drug syndicates.

“We will continue our relentless fight against illicit drug networks and their financiers, in line with our mandate to safeguard public health and national security,” he assured.

Jeff’s arrest marks another significant victory in the NDLEA’s ongoing war against drug cartels, further reinforcing Nigeria’s stance against drug-related crimes.