By Abdullahi Mukhtar Algasgaini
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a notorious 59-year-old drug baron, Ogbonnaya Kevin Jeff, at his hideout in Lagos after 17 years on the run.
The arrest followed an Interpol red notice and intelligence from South Korea’s National Intelligence Service.
NDLEA Chairman Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Retd) disclosed that Jeff, a key figure in an international drug trafficking syndicate, had been smuggling illicit drugs worth billions of naira into South Korea.
His arrest on February 12, 2025, led to the recovery of multiple passports, Korean visas, and illicit substances at his residence.
Jeff, who previously served a one-year prison term in South Korea in 2007, continued his operations remotely, recruiting couriers and laundering drug proceeds through electronics imports.
He is wanted in South Korea for multiple drug trafficking offences, with two arrest warrants issued by the Seoul Central District Court in 2024.
Marwa reaffirmed NDLEA’s commitment to dismantling drug networks and ensuring Nigeria is not a haven for drug cartels.