Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency have arrested a suspected drug trafficker who allegedly evaded justice for 13 years after jumping bail.
The agency identified the suspect as Reginald Peter Chidiebere, stating that he had been linked to significant cocaine and heroin consignments intercepted over the years.
NDLEA spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, disclosed in a statement on Sunday that the suspect was initially arrested in 2013 for cocaine trafficking and arraigned before Justice Ayokunle Faji of the Federal High Court in Lagos. He was granted bail but later absconded.
According to the agency, his name resurfaced in February 2024 in connection with the importation of 49.70 kilogrammes of heroin from South Africa, intercepted at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport.
Babafemi said a follow-up operation on February 19, 2024, led operatives to Golden Platinum Hotel and Suites in Okota, Lagos, which was allegedly linked to the suspect. During the raid, 2.20 kilogrammes of heroin were recovered from a guest identified as Igbuanugo Ebuka ThankGod.
The agency stated that it subsequently secured an interim forfeiture order on the hotel and froze bank accounts traced to the suspect.
NDLEA said that after years in hiding, Chidiebere surrendered to the agency on February 13, 2026, and is now in custody to face pending charges from 2013 as well as fresh counts related to the 2024 heroin seizure.
In a separate operation in Imo State, NDLEA operatives dismantled a clandestine laboratory in Isiozi Obiato, Umuaka, Njaba Local Government Area, where 18.4 kilogrammes of methamphetamine, precursor chemicals and production equipment were recovered.
At the Seme border, officers also intercepted a Togolese woman, Hadiza Musa, allegedly found with 5,000 tramadol pills concealed in her luggage. On the same day, operatives recovered 1,040 kilogrammes of skunk from an uncompleted building at Akodo village, Seaside Eleko, along the Ibeju-Lekki axis.
The agency reiterated its commitment to intensifying efforts against drug trafficking networks across the country.
