Okparaejesi is a Nigerian national and is believed to be involved in the trafficking of drugs over international borders
Joseph Chinedu Okparaejesi, also known as Alen, was taken into custody at El Dorado International Airport in Bogotá by Colombia police in conjunction with the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Okparaejesi is a Nigerian national and is believed to be involved in the trafficking of drugs over international borders. Okparaejesi, who had been living in Colombia for more than a decade, was detained upon his arrival from São Paulo, Brazil, on Wednesday, March 12, 2025.
His arrest was the result of a comprehensive investigation that was led by the Dijín, which is the Colombian police intelligence unit, and the Attorney General’s Office.
The suspect allegedly organized large-scale cocaine shipments to Spain under the guise of a businessman interested in the beauty industry.
To smuggle narcotics, Okparaejesi was responsible for financing the acquisition of drugs and supervising operations that involved human couriers and specially manufactured double-bottom luggage.
This also led to the arrest of 15 additional individuals connected to his operations. It has been determined through investigations that Okparaejesi tied the knot with a Colombian woman in the year 2012, specifically at the Nuestra Señora de Fátima church located in Bogotá.
By all accounts, he was the owner of a company known as “Nigeria African,” which was situated close to Ciudad de Cali Avenue and dealt in hair extensions.
To help his arrest, intelligence was obtained from a drug mule who was captured while en route to Spain. This individual provided information regarding the Nigerian’s network.
According to a close buddy who spoke with El Tiempo, the Nigerian suspect seldom left Colombia, traveling to Africa about once every two years to visit family. Authorities in Colombia have confirmed his incarceration on allegations of narcotics trafficking, manufacture, and distribution, according to the National Penitentiary and Prison Institute (INPEC).