NDLEA Arrests Notorious Drug Baron in Lagos After 17 Years in Hiding

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has successfully apprehended a wanted international drug baron, Ogbonnaya Kevin Jeff, after 17 years of evading law enforcement.

The 59-year-old suspect, accused of masterminding a transnational drug trafficking syndicate, was arrested at his hideout in Ojo, Lagos, following an extensive intelligence-led operation.

The Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig Gen Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), disclosed this significant development during a press briefing in Abuja on Monday, 3rd March 2025.

He highlighted that Jeff’s arrest followed an Interpol Red Notice and intelligence provided by the National Intelligence Service of South Korea.

Marwa detailed the agency’s persistent efforts to track down the fugitive, who had built a vast network smuggling illicit substances into various countries, particularly South Korea.

“The major development that warranted this special briefing pertains to the arrest of a drug lord wanted globally as the leader of an international drug trafficking organisation. This is a significant breakthrough in our fight against narcotics. As we declared four years ago during the reform of NDLEA, our primary targets are drug barons and those who control trafficking rings,” Marwa stated.

He further revealed that Jeff had been actively recruiting young Nigerians as drug couriers to smuggle illicit substances into South Korea. Intelligence reports indicated that many Nigerians arrested abroad for drug-related offences had links to his syndicate.

Following his arrest at No. 3, Ibukunoluwa Taiwo Close, off LASU Road, Lagos, a search of his residence led to the recovery of multiple Nigerian international passports belonging to different individuals, many of which contained Korean visas.

Additionally, NDLEA operatives discovered illicit substances stored at the back of his house.

“Ogbonnaya Kevin Jeff is not just a domestic drug baron; he is an international trafficker operating within and outside Nigeria. His records show he served a one-year prison sentence in South Korea in 2007 before being deported to Nigeria in 2008.

“Despite this, he continued his criminal activities, orchestrating operations remotely while coordinating with international syndicates,” Marwa disclosed.

According to NDLEA’s findings, Jeff’s operations spanned multiple countries, including Cameroon, Ghana, Burkina Faso, Liberia, and other parts of East and Southern Africa.

An investigation uncovered that on 5th October 2023, Jeff dispatched 6,051.06 grams of skunk, concealed in dried chillies and jujube, to a Korean national, Kim Dong Wook, at an address in Jinju City, Gyeongsangnam-do, South Korea.

The package arrived at Incheon Airport on 19th October 2023 via an Air France flight.

Further probes established that between December 2023 and April 2024, Jeff instructed his drug couriers, Santa Elizabeth Pieterse and Carl Yohan Stephan Brisman, to smuggle five kilograms of methamphetamine into South Korea via international flights.

In recent operations alone, he is estimated to have trafficked illicit drugs worth over N1.4 billion in street value to the country.

The NDLEA boss further revealed that two arrest warrants had been issued against Jeff by the Seoul Central District Court in January and June 2024, charging him with importing narcotic drugs in violation of South Korea’s Narcotics Control Act—an offence punishable by a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.

Marwa assured the public of NDLEA’s unwavering commitment to dismantling drug trafficking syndicates and preventing Nigeria from serving as a hub for illicit drug operations.

“We will continue our relentless fight against drug networks and their financiers. The arrest of Ogbonnaya is an affirmation of our resolve to work with international partners to ensure that no drug baron finds Nigeria a safe haven to distribute narcotics within or traffic them abroad,” he affirmed.

The NDLEA’s latest victory reinforces the agency’s stance that drug cartels will not be allowed to operate with impunity in Nigeria, as authorities intensify collaborations with global law enforcement agencies to curb drug-related crimes.