Colombian authorities, in collaboration with the FBI, have apprehended a Nigerian national, Joseph Chinedu Okparaejesi, also known as Alen, for his alleged involvement in transnational drug trafficking.
He was arrested at El Dorado International Airport in Bogotá upon his arrival from São Paulo, Brazil.
According to intelligence sources, Okparaejesi had been residing in Colombia for over 12 years and was the subject of an extensive investigation led by the Colombian police intelligence unit (Dijín) and the Attorney General’s Office. While presenting himself as a businessman in the beauty industry, he was allegedly orchestrating large-scale cocaine shipments to Spain.
Authorities revealed that Okparaejesi played a key role in financing drug procurement and overseeing smuggling operations. His network reportedly used human couriers and specially designed double-bottom suitcases to transport narcotics. His arrest was made possible after intelligence was obtained from a detained drug mule en route to Spain, who exposed details of his trafficking operations.
As part of the investigation, 15 other individuals connected to his network have also been arrested.
Further findings show that Okparaejesi married a Colombian woman in 2012 at the Nuestra Señora de Fátima parish in Bogotá. He operated a hair extension business, “Nigeria African,” near Ciudad de Cali Avenue.
A close associate told El Tiempo that Okparaejesi rarely left Colombia and only traveled to Africa approximately every two years to visit his family. “The last time we spoke, he mentioned being in Ghana,” the associate said.
The Colombian National Penitentiary and Prison Institute (INPEC) has confirmed his detention, with formal charges filed against him for drug trafficking, production, and distribution.
