Nigeria – Joachin Mbonu, a drug baron wanted by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, was apprehended by NDLEA operatives at his mansion in Imo State on July 5.
The arrest also included his associate, with the agency revealing that Mbonu is part of a drug cartel involved in the production of methamphetamine. The arrest was confirmed by the agency’s spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, in a statement released on Tuesday.
Operatives of the NDLEA have successfully dismantled a major drug cartel involved in the production and distribution of methamphetamine, known as ‘Mkpuru mmiri,’ with the arrest of the syndicate’s leader, Joachin Chikaodi Mbonu, and his associate in Imo State.
The cartel, operating in Imo and Rivers states, was targeted by the agency for distributing significant amounts of methamphetamine in the South-East, South-South, and other regions of Nigeria. The operation led to the seizure of 419.99 grams of methamphetamine, 750 grams of iodine, a pump-action gun with four cartridges, and other items from the syndicate’s base.
The drug lord, was apprehended along with his cartel member, Kenneth Chibuike Ofoegbu, by a special operations unit after weeks of surveillance. Various quantities of methamphetamine, precursor chemicals, a pump action gun, and cartridges were seized from Mbonu’s mansion.
Additional raids in residences of Mbonu’s associates in Rivers and Imo states led to the recovery of more illicit drugs and weapons. Mbonu, who had escaped from South Africa and mastered the production of methamphetamine, continued his criminal activities in Nigeria by setting up clandestine laboratories in remote villages. Two of his mansions in Imo State are being considered for forfeiture to the Federal Government.
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