NDLEA Arrests Cocaine Kingpin After 13 Years on the Run, Busts Secret Imo Drug Lab

Lagos, Nigeria, March 2, 2026

The (NDLEA) has arrested a suspected drug kingpin, Reginald Peter Chidiebere, bringing to an end a 13-year manhunt following multiple cocaine and heroin seizures linked to him.
Chidiebere was initially arrested in 2013 over the shipment of cocaine into Nigeria and was arraigned before Justice Ayokunle Faji of the Federal High Court, Lagos, under charge number FHC/L/187c/2923. After being granted bail, he absconded and remained in hiding for over a decade.

His name resurfaced prominently in February 2024 as one of the masterminds behind the importation of 49.70 kilograms of heroin from South Africa. The illicit consignment was intercepted by NDLEA operatives at the import shed of the (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos.
Hotel Raid and Additional Seizures
Following the 2024 heroin interception, NDLEA operatives carried out a follow-up operation on February 19, 2024, at his Golden Platinum Hotel & Suites located in Okota, Lagos. During the raid, an additional 2.20 kilograms of heroin was recovered from one of his guests, Igbuanugo Ebuka ThankGod.
The agency subsequently secured an interim forfeiture order on the hotel and froze multiple bank accounts traced to Chidiebere. Faced with mounting financial and legal pressure, he eventually surrendered to authorities on February 13, 2026. He is now in custody and will face both his pending 2013 charges and fresh counts stemming from the 2024 heroin consignments.
NDLEA Dismantles Clandestine Meth Lab in Imo
In a separate operation, NDLEA operatives in Imo State on Wednesday, February 25, 2026, dismantled a clandestine methamphetamine laboratory located in Isiozi Obiato, Umuaka, within Njaba Local Government Area.

During the operation, officers recovered 18.4 kilograms of methamphetamine, along with a substantial quantity of precursor chemicals and equipment used in manufacturing the illicit substance. The discovery underscores growing concerns about the rise of local synthetic drug production networks.
Major Interceptions Across Lagos, Kano, and Katsina
At the Seme border in the Badagry area of Lagos, NDLEA officers on Friday, February 27, intercepted a Togolese woman, Hadiza Musa, who concealed 5,000 pills of tramadol in her luggage at the departure tarmac.

On the same day, operatives recovered a staggering 1,040 kilograms of skunk — a potent strain of cannabis — from an uncompleted building at Akodo village, Seaside Eleko, along the Ibeju-Lekki corridor of Lagos.
In Kano State, a 45-year-old suspect, Ashiru Bala, was arrested at Lambu in Tafa LGA on Wednesday, February 25, while transporting 1,499 bottles of codeine syrup in a Volkswagen Golf vehicle marked CA 911 ABC.

Similarly, in Katsina State, a 21-year-old suspect, Yahaya Usaini, was apprehended on Friday, February 27, along the Zaria–Dutsinma road. He was found transporting 87.4 kilograms of skunk in a Toyota Hiace bus with registration number KUJ 544 RL.
Intensified Crackdown
The series of arrests and seizures reflects the NDLEA’s intensified nationwide crackdown on drug trafficking syndicates, illicit laboratories, and cross-border narcotics smuggling operations.
With the arrest of Chidiebere after more than a decade on the run and the dismantling of a significant methamphetamine production hub in Imo State, authorities say they are sending a strong message to drug traffickers that there will be no safe haven for criminal networks operating within or outside Nigeria’s borders.