Nigerian drug baron flees South Africa, arrested in Imo mansion

• Published On: 10 July 2024 at 18:13

Joachin Mbonu, a drug lord who was on the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency's wanted list, has been caught.

On July 5, NDLEA operatives detained Mbonu in his village residence in Imo State.

According to a statement issued on Tuesday by the agency's spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, Mbonu was arrested alongside his associate.

He added that Mbonu is a member of a narcotics cartel that manufactures methamphetamines.


The statement read: "A major drug cartel behind the production and distribution of deadly psychoactive substance, methamphetamine, popularly called 'Mkpuru mmiri' has been taken down by operatives of the NDLEA following the arrest of the leader of the syndicate, 42-year-old Joachin Chikaodi Mbonu and his associate in his mansion tucked in his Umuomi village, Uzogba-Ezenomi autonomous community, Ikeduru Local Government Area of Imo State."

The cartel, which has operational bases in Imo and Rivers states, became a target of the agency after information revealed that it was responsible for the distribution of large amounts of methamphetamine in the South-East, South-South, and other parts of the country.

During the raid, Babafemi stated that operators discovered 419.99 grammes of methamphetamine, 750 grammes of iodine, and a pump action rifle with four rounds, among other things.

He stated, "After weeks of surveillance, officers from the agency's special operations unit tracked and traced the drug lord to his village mansion in Imo State on Friday, July 5, 2024, where he was caught with a member of his cartel, Kenneth Chibuike Ofoegbu, 34, with various quantities of methamphetamine, precursor chemicals, a pump action gun, and cartridges recovered."

"Exhibits recovered from the house include 419.99 grammes of methamphetamine; 750 grammes of iodine, a precursor chemical for meth; 500 grammes of sodium bicarbonate, a precursor chemical for meth; two electronic weighing scales and a pump action gun with four cartridges."

According to Babafemi, the operatives also raided the homes of Mbonu's colleagues in Rivers and Imo states, recovering many illicit narcotics.

He stated, "The operatives moved quickly to another of Mbonu's hideouts located at 11 Redemption Avenue in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, where they seized additional exhibits: 750 g processed sodium bicarbonate, 170 g plain sodium bicarbonate, and 75 g meth.

"Another raid on the residence of one of Mbonu's colleagues, Odoemenam Pedro Chinedu, who is still at large, in Njaba LGA, Imo State, resulted in the recovery of another pump action gun, 25 cartridges, and other goods. While the kingpin is in detention, two of his houses in Imo State have been designated for probable seizure to the federal government."

Babafemi alleged that Mbonu fled South Africa, where he had lived for years, and mastered the art of cooking methamphetamine after being investigated for drug dealings.

He stated that when he returned to Nigeria, he maintained the criminal enterprise by establishing clandestine laboratories in isolated villages to conceal his evil activities.