The Korean National Intelligence Service (NIS) has apprehended the mastermind behind a Nigerian drug cartel for duping Koreans into smuggling drugs via romance scams and other deceitful tactics. K Jeff, 59, the leader of a burgeoning drug ring based in Nigeria, was arrested in a joint operation between the NIS’s Transnational Crime Information Center and Nigeria’s National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).
K Jeff’s organization had established bases in Southeast Asia, Africa, Korea, the United States, and Europe to distribute drugs or execute online scams, deceiving individuals into serving as drug couriers. Victims, misled by romance scams or fake investment opportunities, traveled to foreign countries to deliver backpacks, confectionery, or grocery items packed with drugs to other countries, unaware of the true contents.
Among the victims was a Korean woman in her 50s, caught last year while delivering shaving wax containing cocaine from Brazil to Cambodia via Korea. Ten other victims, including foreigners, have been confirmed, according to the NIS. K Jeff was deported from Korea in 2008 while serving a one-year prison term for spearheading a drug circulation scheme.
Since his deportation, K Jeff had been sourcing drugs in Korea, Central America, and Southeast Asia, smuggling them into Korea and beyond from Nigeria. Korean authorities initially busted a Nigerian drug ring operating in Korea in 2021 for attempting to smuggle drugs from Ghana, ultimately tracing it back to K Jeff.
The NIS has confiscated 45.6 kilograms of drugs from this organization, including 28.4 kilograms of methamphetamine, and arrested 38 members of the group. The agency warned the public about individuals making online requests to deliver items overseas, emphasizing the importance of vigilance in the face of online scams.ยน
