The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has apprehended a notorious 59-year-old drug baron, Ogbonnaya Kevin Jeff, at his hideout in Ojo, Lagos, bringing an end to his 17-year reign of trafficking illicit drugs worth billions of naira globally.
NDLEA Chairman, Brigadier General Mohammed Buba Marwa (rtd), disclosed the arrest during a press briefing in Abuja on Monday, March 3, 2025. He revealed that the agency’s Special Operations Unit had been tracking the suspect based on an INTERPOL Red Notice and intelligence from South Korea’s National Intelligence Service.
According to a statement by Femi Babafemi, NDLEA’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Marwa described Jeff as a high-profile international drug trafficker who had been under investigation before his arrest.
Providing details on the arrest, Marwa stated, “On Wednesday, February 12, 2025, we successfully apprehended Ogbonnaya Kevin Jeff, a 59-year-old drug baron, at his residence at No. 3, Ibukunoluwa Taiwo Close, off LASU Road, Lagos.”
Investigations revealed that Jeff recruited young Nigerians as drug couriers to smuggle illicit substances into South Korea. Many Nigerians arrested abroad for drug-related offences were linked to his operations. He also laundered drug proceeds through the importation of electronics and other goods.
During a search of his residence, NDLEA operatives recovered multiple Nigerian international passports belonging to different individuals, many containing Korean visas. A storehouse behind his home also contained illicit substances.
Marwa emphasized that Jeff was not just a local drug dealer but an international trafficker operating from both Nigeria and abroad. His criminal history dates back to 2007 when he served a one-year prison sentence in South Korea before being deported to Nigeria in 2008. Despite this, he continued his illicit trade and remained a key player in the drug trafficking network targeting the Far East.
Jeff has been wanted in South Korea for multiple drug trafficking offences between 2023 and 2024. An INTERPOL Red Notice was issued for his arrest and extradition. He is alleged to be the leader of a drug trafficking syndicate smuggling narcotics into South Korea through networks spanning Cameroon, Ghana, Burkina Faso, Liberia, and other African countries.
Marwa detailed Jeff’s illicit activities, including an October 5, 2023 shipment of 6,051.06 grams of skunk concealed in dried chillies and jujube from Burkina Faso to a Korean national, Kim Dong Wook, in Jinju City, South Korea. The package arrived at Incheon Airport on October 19, 2023, via Air France.
Between December 2023 and April 2024, Jeff allegedly directed drug couriers, Santa Elizabeth Pieterse and Carl Yohan Stephan Brisman, to smuggle five kilograms of methamphetamine into South Korea. His recent drug shipments are estimated to be worth over 1.4 billion.
His network included a domestic carrier known as “Asa”, who delivered drug consignments to a warehouse operated by Okori Emmanuel, his supply manager in South Korea.
The Seoul Central District Court issued two arrest warrants against Jeff in January and June 2024, charging him with importing narcotic drugs in violation of South Korea’s Narcotics Control Act. If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.
Marwa reaffirmed NDLEA’s commitment to dismantling international drug trafficking networks, stating, “We will not allow Nigeria to serve as a base for drug barons. The arrest of Ogbonnaya Kevin Jeff is a testament to our resolve to work with global partners to combat illicit drug trade.”
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