A Nigerian drug cartel leader, K. Jeff, has been arrested along with 36 others for drug smuggling, according to the Korean National Intelligence Agency’s Transnational Crime Information Centre.
The arrest followed five years of joint investigations between Korean authorities and Nigeria’s National Drug Law Enforcement Agency.
Jeff was detained in Lagos for his role in the operation.
Previously convicted in Korea in 2007 for drug trafficking, Jeff served a one-year prison sentence before being deported to Nigeria. Investigators later discovered that he had expanded his drug network across Southeast Asia, Europe, Africa, and the Americas.
The cartel reportedly used various tricks, including romance scams, to transport drugs.
In one case, a Korean woman unknowingly carried cocaine hidden inside beauty products while traveling to Cambodia. At least 10 Koreans were deceived in similar schemes.
The Korean intelligence agency launched an investigation into Jeff’s operations in 2020, working with law enforcement agencies.
By 2021, they had identified cartel members smuggling drugs from Ghana into Korea.
The investigation eventually led to Jeff’s arrest in Nigeria, with authorities vowing to continue efforts to combat international drug trafficking.