Nosa Aituamen
After a 17-year pursuit, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has apprehended Ogbonnaya Kevin Jeff, a 59-year-old drug baron wanted internationally for trafficking illicit drugs worth billions of naira.
NDLEA Chairman, Brig. Gen Buba Marwa (Rtd), announced the arrest at a news conference in Abuja, detailing how the agency’s Special Operations Unit, acting on an Interpol red notice and intelligence from South Korea’s National Intelligence Service, tracked and captured Jeff at his hideout in the Ojo area of Lagos on February 12, 2025.
He described Jeff as a key figure in an international drug trafficking syndicate, highlighting his history of recruiting young Nigerians as couriers to smuggle drugs into South Korea.
Investigations revealed according to the NDLEA chairman, that Jeff had been previously imprisoned in South Korea for drug offenses in 2007 and deported in 2008, yet continued his illicit activities.
While evidence gathered by the NDLEA indicates that Jeff laundered drug proceeds through the importation of electronics and other goods and a search of his residence yielded multiple Nigerian international passports with Korean visas and illicit substances.
He said, Jeff, considered a significant international trafficker, operated from both Nigeria and abroad, orchestrating drug shipments to the Far East.
The NDLEA boss disclosed that, he is currently wanted in South Korea for multiple drug trafficking offenses committed between 2023 and 2024, for which Interpol had issued a red notice.
Investigations showed he led a drug trafficking organization smuggling narcotics into South Korea, directing operations remotely from Nigeria and coordinating with accomplices across several African countries.
Specifically, evidence showed Jeff dispatched over 6 kilograms of skunk concealed in dried chillies to a Korean address in 2023.
He also directed couriers to smuggle methamphetamine into South Korea between December 2023 and April 2024. In recent times, he is believed to have sent drugs worth over N1.4 billion in street value to South Korea.
Utilized a domestic carrier and a supply manager in South Korea to facilitate his operations and an arrest warrants issued by the Seoul Central District Court charge him with importing narcotic drugs, an offense carrying a potential life sentence.
Brig. Gen Marwa(rtd) reiterated the NDLEA’s commitment to dismantling international drug trafficking networks operating within Nigeria, emphasizing the agency’s collaboration with international partners to prevent the country from becoming a hub for illicit drug trade.
He affirmed that the arrest of Ogbonnaya Kevin Jeff demonstrates the NDLEA’s resolve to safeguard public health and national security.