On July 5, Mbonu was taken into custody by NDLEA agents at his Imo State estate.
The agency’s spokesman, Femi Babafemi, said in a statement on Tuesday that Mbonu and his associate had been taken into custody.
According to him, Mbonu is a member of a narcotics organization that produces methamphetamine.
Babafemi stated, “Joachin Chikaodi Mbonu, 42, the syndicate’s leader, and his associate were apprehended in their mansion situated in Umuomi village, Uzogba-Ezenomi autonomous community, Ikeduru Local Government Area of Imo State. This led to the downfall of a major drug cartel behind the production and distribution of deadly psychoactive substance, methamphetamine, popularly known as ‘Mkpuru mmiri.'”
The cartel, which has operational bases in the states of Imo and Rivers, was identified by the agency as a target after intelligence revealed it was in charge of distributing significant amounts of methamphetamine throughout the South-East, South-South, and other regions of the nation.
According to Babafemi, among the items retrieved by the operators during the operation were 750 grams of iodine, 419.99 grams of methamphetamine, and a pump action rifle with four rounds.
He stated, “On Friday, July 5, 2024, following weeks of surveillance, agents from the agency’s special operations unit tracked and traced the drug lord to his village mansion in Imo State, where he was caught with Kenneth Chibuike Ofoegbu, 34, a member of his cartel, with various amounts of methamphetamine, its precursor chemicals, a pump action gun, and cartridges recovered.”
419.99 grams of methamphetamine, 750 kilos of iodine, 500 grams of sodium bicarbonate, and two electronic weighing scales along with a pump action gun with four rounds are among the exhibits that were found inside the house.
According to Babafemi, the agents also searched the homes of Mbonu’s colleagues in the states of Rivers and Imo, finding many illegal substances.
“The agents proceeded immediately to an additional Mbonu hiding place situated at 11 Redemption Avenue, Port Harcourt, Rivers State, where they retrieved extra exhibits,” he stated. 75 grams of meth and 170 grams of regular sodium bicarbonate made up the 750 grams of processed sodium bicarbonate.
“Among other things, another pump action gun with 25 ammunition was recovered at the residence of one of Mbonu’s colleagues, Odoemenam Pedro Chinedu, who is presently at large, in Njaba LGA, Imo State, following another raid. Two of the kingpin’s Imo State homes have been flagged for potential forfeiture to the federal government as he waits it out in detention.
According to Babafemi, Mbonu fled his long-term residence in South Africa and became an expert methamphetamine cook after he was the subject of a drug-related inquiry.
He continued by saying that he established covert laboratories in isolated villages to carry out his evil operations after returning to Nigeria.
