Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have captured Ogbonnaya Jeff, a 59-year-old international drug baron, after he had spent 17 years evading the authorities. His arrest, which occurred on Wednesday, February 12, 2025, at his hideout in the Ojo area of Lagos, has been hailed as a significant breakthrough in the fight against international drug trafficking.
Ogbonnaya’s arrest marks the end of a long-running investigation by the NDLEA. The agency had been tracking him after an Interpol Red Notice was issued against him and after receiving vital intelligence from the National Intelligence Service of South Korea.
Brigadier General Buba Marwa (retd.), Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the NDLEA, confirmed Ogbonnaya’s arrest in a briefing with journalists in Abuja on Monday. He explained that Ogbonnaya had been under the radar of the NDLEA for several years, with the agency gathering concrete evidence of his illicit activities, including recruiting young Nigerians as drug couriers to smuggle narcotics into South Korea.
Marwa said, “The major development that warranted this special briefing pertains to the arrest of a drug lord wanted across the world as the leader of an international drug trafficking organization.”
He further revealed that Ogbonnaya had a history of operating in the international drug trade. In 2007, Ogbonnaya served a one-year prison sentence in South Korea for drug-related crimes before being deported to Nigeria in 2008. Despite this, he resumed his criminal activities, masterminding operations to send illegal drugs to the Far East, particularly South Korea.
Ogbonnaya’s methods were particularly sinister. According to the NDLEA, he orchestrated operations where young Nigerians were recruited as drug couriers to smuggle illegal substances like methamphetamine into South Korea. Marwa confirmed that Ogbonnaya had links to multiple Nigerian nationals caught overseas for similar crimes. These individuals, many of whom were unaware of the full scope of Ogbonnaya’s operation, found themselves entangled in his illegal drug syndicate.
“We have incontrovertible evidence that Ogbonnaya recruited young Nigerians to act as couriers, smuggling illicit substances into South Korea. Many Nigerians arrested abroad for drug trafficking offences are directly linked to him,” Marwa said.
The arrest was made possible through international cooperation, with vital intelligence from South Korea’s National Intelligence Service (NIS) and an Interpol Red Notice, which is a global request for the location and arrest of a person wanted for serious crimes.
Marwa confirmed the depth of Ogbonnaya’s operations, saying that the suspect was responsible for smuggling large quantities of narcotics worth billions of naira into South Korea. The NDLEA also discovered evidence that Ogbonnaya was involved in laundering the proceeds of his drug trade through various means, including the importation of electronics and other goods into Nigeria.
Ogbonnaya’s drug trafficking syndicate spanned several countries, including Cameroon, Ghana, Burkina Faso, Liberia, and other parts of East and Southern Africa. He maintained a network of couriers and suppliers who helped him move his illicit shipments from Nigeria to various destinations worldwide, with South Korea as a key target market.
In December 2023, Ogbonnaya allegedly directed two couriers, Santa Elizabeth Pieterse and Carl Yohan Stephan Brisman, to smuggle five kilograms of methamphetamine into South Korea. The drugs were sent via international flights, with Ogbonnaya maintaining command of the operation remotely from Nigeria.
On October 5, 2023, Ogbonnaya is said to have dispatched 6,051 grams of skunk—an illicit drug—concealed in dried chillies and jujube from Burkina Faso to South Korea. The package was intercepted upon its arrival at Incheon Airport in South Korea, where authorities found it hidden among other goods.
When NDLEA operatives searched Ogbonnaya’s residence in Lagos, they uncovered further evidence of his criminal activities. The search led to the discovery of multiple Nigerian international passports belonging to various individuals, many of which had Korean visas. Additionally, illicit substances were found at the back of his house, providing further proof of his active role in the drug trade.
“Following his arrest, a search of his residence led to the recovery of multiple Nigerian international passports belonging to different individuals, many of which contained Korean visas,” Marwa revealed. “This is clear evidence of the international scope of his criminal operations.”
Ogbonnaya is not only wanted in Nigeria but also in South Korea, where two arrest warrants have been issued against him by the Seoul Central District Court. The charges against him include importing narcotic drugs in violation of South Korea’s Narcotics Control Act, a crime that carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.
According to Marwa, Ogbonnaya remains a key figure in an ongoing investigation into international drug trafficking. “We are committed to ensuring that Nigeria does not serve as a base for international drug trafficking operations. We will continue to work with our international partners to put an end to this criminal enterprise,” he affirmed.
The NDLEA has long been at the forefront of efforts to combat drug trafficking in Nigeria. With the arrest of Ogbonnaya Jeff, the agency has sent a clear message that it will not tolerate drug cartels using the country as a base for their operations.
