A major drug cartel behind the production and distribution of the deadly psychoactive substance methamphetamine, popularly called ‘mkpuru mmiri,’ has been dismantled by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (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 agency’s Director of Media & Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, disclosed in a statement shared with journalists on Tuesday in Abuja.
He said the cartel, with operational bases in Imo and Rivers states, became a target of the Agency following intelligence indicating it is responsible for the distribution of a substantial quantity of methamphetamine in the South East, South South, and other parts of the country.
He explained that after weeks of surveillance, officers of a special operations unit of the Agency on Friday, 5th July 2024, tracked and traced the drug lord to his village mansion in Imo State, where he was caught with a member of his cartel, Kenneth Chibuike Ofoegbu, 34, with different 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.
The operatives moved swiftly 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 in the home of one of Mbonu’s associates, Odoemenam Pedro Chinedu, currently at large, at Njaba LGA, Imo State, led to the recovery of another pump-action gun with 25 cartridges, among other items.
While the kingpin cools his heels in custody, two of his mansions in Imo State have been marked for possible forfeiture to the federal government.
Mbonu had escaped from South Africa, where he lived for years and mastered the art of cooking methamphetamine, after he came under investigation for drug dealings. Upon his return to Nigeria, he continued the criminal trade by setting up clandestine laboratories in remote villages to shield his nefarious activities.
Reacting to the successful takedown of the meth syndicate, Chairman/Chief Executive of NDLEA, Brig Gen Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), commended the officers and men involved in the multi-pronged operation.
He stated that the manner in which the interdiction was carried out should send a strong signal to other cartels that there’s no hiding place for them in any part of the country.
