A Nigerian national, Joseph Chinedu Okparaejesi, and suspected transnational drug trafficker, has been arrested at El Dorado International Airport, Bogotá by Colombian authorities, in collaboration with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
According to security outfit, Zagazola Makama, Okparaejesi, who had been residing in Colombia for over 12 years, was apprehended upon arrival from São Paulo, Brazil, following an intensive investigation led by the Dijín (Colombian police intelligence unit) and the Attorney General’s Office.
The suspect had posed as a businessman in the beauty industry but was allegedly coordinating large-scale cocaine shipments to Spain.
Authorities revealed that Okparaejesi financed drug procurement and oversaw operations involving human couriers and specially designed double-bottom suitcases to smuggle narcotics.
His arrest was facilitated by intelligence from a detained drug mule en route to Spain, who disclosed details of the Nigerian’s network.
15 other individuals linked to his operations have also been arrested.
Investigations indicate that Okparaejesi married a Colombian woman in 2012 at the Nuestra Señora de Fátima parish in Bogotá and ran a business dealing in hair extensions, named “Nigeria African,” located near Ciudad de Cali Avenue.
