Colombian authorities, in cooperation with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), have apprehended a suspected Nigerian drug trafficker at El Dorado International Airport in Bogotá, the capital of Colombia. The individual, identified as Joseph Okparaejesi, also known as Alen, was reported on Thursday.
According to intelligence sources cited by Zagazola Makama, a publication focused on counter-insurgency in the Lake Chad region, Okparaejesi has been living in Colombia for over 12 years. His arrest took place upon his arrival from São Paulo, Brazil, as part of a thorough investigation conducted by the Colombian police intelligence unit and the attorney general’s office.
“The suspect posed as a businessman in the beauty industry but was allegedly coordinating large-scale cocaine shipments to Spain,” the report reads.
Authorities revealed that Okparaejesi allegedly 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,” the report added.
“As a result of this breakthrough, 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. He reportedly ran a business dealing in hair extensions, named ‘Nigeria African’, located near Ciudad de Cali Avenue.”
Okparaejesi reportedly rarely left Colombia, traveling to Africa approximately every two years to visit his family.
Charges of drug trafficking, production, and distribution have been filed against him.
