A suspected drug lord, Reginald Peter Chidiebere, has been arrested after spending 13 years evading authorities, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency announced on Sunday.
The arrest comes after investigations linked him to large shipments of cocaine and heroin.
According to NDLEA spokesperson Femi Babafemi, Chidiebere was first arrested in 2013 for cocaine trafficking and arraigned before Justice Ayokunle Faji of the Federal High Court, Lagos, under case number FHC/L/187c/2923.
Following his release on bail, Chidiebere disappeared and remained underground for more than a decade.
His name re-emerged in February 2024 when NDLEA investigators identified him as one of the masterminds behind the importation of 49.7 kilograms of heroin from South Africa.
A follow-up operation on 19 February 2024 at his Golden Platinum Hotel & Suites on Reginald Peter Chidiebere Street, Lagos, led to the recovery of 2.2 kilograms of heroin from a guest, Igbuanugo Ebuka ThankGod.
“After 13 years in hiding, Chidiebere could no longer sustain himself underground and surrendered to the agency on 13 February 2026,” the NDLEA statement said.
He has now been taken into custody to face pending charges from 2013 as well as fresh charges related to the 2024 heroin consignments.
In a related operation, NDLEA operatives in Imo State dismantled a clandestine methamphetamine laboratory in Isiozi Obiato, Umuaka, Njaba Local Government Area.
Officers recovered 18.4 kilograms of methamphetamine, along with precursor chemicals and production equipment.
At the Seme border, officials intercepted a Togolese woman, Hadiza Musa, who allegedly concealed 5,000 tramadol pills in her luggage.
Meanwhile, 1,040 kilograms of skunk cannabis were recovered from an uncompleted building at Akodo village, Seaside Eleko, along the Ibeju-Lekki axis.
These operations underscore ongoing efforts by the NDLEA to clamp down on organised drug trafficking networks and prevent the flow of illicit narcotics into and within Nigeria.
National Drug Law Enforcement Agency continues to pursue suspects and dismantle criminal networks across the country.
