Nigerian Drug Kingpin Arrested for Luring Koreans Into Drug Smuggling Through Romance Scams

The Korean National Intelligence Service (NIS) has apprehended the leader of a Nigerian drug syndicate accused of tricking Koreans into smuggling drugs through romance scams and other fraudulent schemes.

K Jeff, 59, the head of the emerging drug network based in Nigeria, was arrested last Thursday in a coordinated effort between the NIS’s Transnational Crime Information Center and Nigeria’s National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).

His organization operated across Southeast Asia, Africa, Korea, America, and Europe, distributing drugs and engaging in online scams, including romance and investment fraud, to manipulate victims into unknowingly becoming drug couriers.

Victims, misled by fake romantic relationships or fraudulent investment offers, were persuaded to travel abroad and deliver backpacks, confectionery, or groceries unknowingly filled with drugs, under the guise of passing along gifts on behalf of the group’s members.

Among the victims was a Korean woman in her 50s who was arrested last year while unknowingly transporting shaving wax laced with cocaine from Brazil to Cambodia via Korea, according to the NIS. The agency also confirmed at least ten other victims, including foreigners.

K Jeff had previously been deported from Korea in 2008 after serving a one-year prison sentence for leading a drug trafficking network. Following his deportation, he continued sourcing drugs from Korea, Central America, and Southeast Asia, smuggling them into Korea and other regions from Nigeria.

Korean authorities first uncovered a Nigerian drug syndicate in 2021 when it attempted to smuggle drugs from Ghana. Their investigation ultimately led them to K Jeff as the mastermind.

The NIS has seized 45.6 kilograms of drugs from the organization, including 28.4 kg of methamphetamine, and arrested 38 of its members. The agency has also issued a warning against individuals who request online assistance in transporting items internationally, as such schemes may be linked to drug trafficking.