The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested Joachin Mbonu, a drug baron who was on their wanted list. Mbonu was captured in his mansion in Umuomi village, Imo State, on July 5. He was arrested along with his associate, Kenneth Chibuike Ofoegbu.
NDLEA spokesperson Femi Babafemi announced, “A major drug cartel behind the production and distribution of methamphetamine, known as ‘mkpuru mmiri,’ has been dismantled following the arrest of its leader, 42-year-old Joachin Chikaodi Mbonu.”
The agency had been targeting this cartel, which operates in Imo and Rivers states, based on intelligence that linked them to widespread methamphetamine distribution in the South East, South South, and other parts of Nigeria.
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During the operation, NDLEA operatives recovered 419.99 grams of methamphetamine, 750 grams of iodine, a pump-action gun with four cartridges, and other items. Babafemi detailed, “After weeks of surveillance, officers tracked and traced Mbonu to his village mansion where he was caught with various quantities of methamphetamine and precursor chemicals.”
In addition to the Imo raid, the operatives raided residences of Mbonu’s associates in Rivers and Imo States, recovering more illicit drugs. At one hideout in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, they found 750 grams of processed sodium bicarbonate, 170 grams of plain sodium bicarbonate, and 75 grams of meth.
Another raid at the home of Mbonu’s associate, Odoemenam Pedro Chinedu, in Njaba LGA, Imo State, led to the recovery of a pump-action gun with 25 cartridges. Babafemi added, “Two of Mbonu’s mansions in Imo State have been marked for possible forfeiture to the federal government.”
Mbonu had previously escaped from South Africa, where he had been under investigation for drug dealings. Upon returning to Nigeria, he set up clandestine laboratories in remote villages to continue his illegal activities.