After 17 years of evading authorities, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a 59-year-old international drug baron, Ogbonnaya Jeff, at his hideout in the Ojo area of Lagos.
Speaking to journalists in Abuja on Monday, the Chairman of the NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (retd.), revealed that Jeff had been under surveillance by the agency’s Special Operations Unit, following an Interpol Red Notice and intelligence shared by the National Intelligence Service of South Korea.
Marwa described the suspect as a key figure in a global drug trafficking network, responsible for recruiting young Nigerians as couriers to smuggle illicit substances into South Korea.
“On Wednesday, February 12, 2025, our operatives apprehended Ogbonnaya Kevin Jeff at his residence on LASU Road, Lagos. NDLEA had been tracking him for years, gathering irrefutable evidence of his involvement in drug smuggling. Our investigation confirms that he led a syndicate that sent numerous drug shipments to South Korea,” Marwa stated.
Further searches at Jeff’s home uncovered multiple Nigerian passports bearing different identities, many with Korean visas. Additionally, illicit drugs were found stored at the back of his residence.
According to Marwa, Jeff previously served a one-year prison sentence in South Korea in 2007 before being deported to Nigeria in 2008.
However, instead of abandoning the trade, he continued orchestrating drug shipments to the Far East, making use of an elaborate international network spanning Africa and Asia.
“Between 2023 and 2024, he coordinated multiple drug shipments to South Korea, including a parcel containing 6,051 grams of skunk disguised as dried chilies, which was intercepted at Incheon Airport,” Marwa said.
He added that Jeff had also directed drug couriers to smuggle methamphetamine worth over ₦1.4 billion into South Korea.
Authorities in Seoul have since issued two arrest warrants against him for violating South Korea’s Narcotics Control Act, a crime that carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.
Marwa reaffirmed NDLEA’s commitment to tackling international drug cartels and ensuring Nigeria does not serve as a hub for illicit trafficking.
