After 17 years of orchestrating a global drug trafficking network, 59-year-old drug baron Ogbonnaya Kevin Jeff has been arrested by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) at his hideout in Ojo, Lagos.
Announcing the arrest at a press briefing in Abuja, NDLEA Chairman, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd.), described Jeff as a major international drug trafficker wanted across multiple jurisdictions, including South Korea. His arrest follows an Interpol Red Notice and intelligence from the National Intelligence Service of South Korea.
According to Marwa, Jeff had been the ringleader of an international drug cartel, recruiting young Nigerians as drug couriers to smuggle narcotics particularly methamphetamine and skunk into South Korea and laundering the proceeds through electronics importation. His criminal operations extended to Cameroon, Ghana, Burkina Faso, Liberia, and other African countries.
Key Findings from NDLEA Investigations
- Jeff served a one-year prison sentence in South Korea in 2007 before being deported to Nigeria in 2008 but continued trafficking drugs.
- He smuggled over N1.4 billion worth of drugs to South Korea between 2023 and 2024.
- In October 2023, he shipped 6,051.06 grams of skunk to a South Korean accomplice using Air France.
- He operated a vast network, using couriers Santa Elizabeth Pieterse and Carl Yohan Stephan Brisman to smuggle five kilograms of methamphetamine via international flights.
- His Nigerian carrier, “Asa”, transported drug consignments to a warehouse managed by Okori Emmanuel, his key supplier in South Korea.
South Korean authorities had issued two arrest warrants against him in January and June 2024 for violating the country’s Narcotics Control Act, a crime punishable by life imprisonment.
NDLEA’s Commitment to Ending Drug Trafficking
Brig. Gen. Marwa reaffirmed NDLEA’s resolve to dismantle international drug syndicates and prevent Nigeria from being a hub for global narcotics trafficking.
“The arrest of Ogbonnaya Kevin Jeff is a significant victory in our fight against drug cartels. We remain committed to ensuring that Nigeria does not serve as a base for illicit drug operations,” he stated.
