A major drug cartel behind the production and distribution of the deadly psychoactive substance methamphetamine, popularly called ‘mkpuru mmiri,’ has been dismantled by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).
The arrest of the syndicate leader, 42-year-old Joachin Chikaodi Mbonu, and his associate took place in his mansion in Umuomi village, Uzogba-Ezenomi autonomous community, Ikeduru Local Government Area of Imo State.
A statement from the NDLEA spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, indicates that the cartel, with operational bases in Imo and Rivers States, became a target following intelligence reports.
The reports revealed that the group was responsible for distributing substantial quantities of methamphetamine across the South East, South South, and other regions of the country.
“After weeks of surveillance, officers from a special operations unit of the Agency tracked and apprehended the drug lord on Friday, July 5, 2024, at his mansion in Imo State.
“They also arrested a member of his cartel, 34-year-old Kenneth Chibuike Ofoegbu, and recovered various quantities of methamphetamine, its precursor chemicals, a pump-action gun, and cartridges,”Babafemi stated.
Exhibits recovered from the house include: 419.99 grams of methamphetamine; 750 grams of iodine, a precursor chemical for meth; 500 grams of sodium bicarbonate, another precursor chemical for meth; two electronic weighing scales; and a pump-action gun with four cartridges.
The operatives swiftly moved to another hideout of Mbonu’s, located at 11 Redemption Avenue, Port Harcourt, Rivers State, where they recovered additional exhibits: 750 grams of processed sodium bicarbonate; 170 grams of plain sodium bicarbonate; and 75 grams of methamphetamine.
A further raid on the home of one of Mbonu’s associates, Odoemenam Pedro Chinedu, currently at large, in Njaba Local Government Area, Imo State, led to the recovery of another pump-action gun with 25 cartridges, among other items. While the kingpin remains in custody, two of his mansions in Imo State have been marked for possible forfeiture to the federal government.
