A drug baron on the wanted list of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), identified as Joachin Mbonu, has been arrested.
Mbonu was apprehended by NDLEA operatives in his village mansion in Imo State on July 5.
In a statement on Tuesday, the agency’s spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, confirmed that Mbonu was arrested along with his associate.
Mbonu is part of a drug cartel involved in the production of methamphetamine.
Babafemi stated, “A major drug cartel behind the production and distribution of the deadly psychoactive substance methamphetamine, popularly called ‘Mkpuru mmiri,’ has been dismantled by NDLEA operatives. The leader of the syndicate, 42-year-old Joachin Chikaodi Mbonu, and his associate were arrested in his mansion located in Umuomi village, Uzogba-Ezenomi autonomous community, Ikeduru Local Government Area of Imo State.”
The cartel, operating in Imo and Rivers states, became a target following intelligence indicating its responsibility for distributing substantial quantities of methamphetamine in the South-East, South-South, and other parts of the country.
During the operation, Babafemi reported that operatives recovered 419.99 grams of methamphetamine, 750 grams of iodine, and a pump action gun with four cartridges, among other items.
He explained, “After weeks of surveillance, a special operations unit of the agency tracked and traced the drug lord to his village mansion in Imo State on Friday, July 5, 2024. He was caught with a member of his cartel, Kenneth Chibuike Ofoegbu, 34, with various quantities of methamphetamine, its precursor chemicals, a pump action gun, and cartridges recovered.
“Exhibits recovered from the house include 419.99 grams of methamphetamine; 750 grams of iodine, a precursor chemical for meth; 500 grams of sodium bicarbonate, a precursor chemical for meth; two electronic weighing scales, and a pump action gun with four cartridges.”
Babafemi added that the operatives also raided the residences of Mbonu’s associates in Rivers and Imo states, recovering several illicit drugs.
He noted, “The operatives swiftly moved to another of Mbonu’s hideouts located at 11 Redemption Avenue, Port Harcourt, Rivers State, where they recovered additional exhibits: 750 grams of processed sodium bicarbonate; 170 grams of plain sodium bicarbonate, and 75 grams of meth.
“Another raid at the home of one of Mbonu’s associates, Odoemenam Pedro Chinedu, currently at large, in Njaba LGA, Imo State, led to the recovery of another pump action gun with 25 cartridges, among other items. While the kingpin is in custody, two of his mansions in Imo State have been marked for possible forfeiture to the Federal Government.”
Babafemi revealed that Mbonu had fled South Africa, where he had lived for years and mastered the art of cooking methamphetamine after coming under investigation for drug dealings. Upon his return to Nigeria, he continued his criminal activities by setting up clandestine laboratories in remote villages to shield his operations.
