At El Dorado International Airport in Bogotá, Colombian authorities and the FBI have detained Joseph Chinedu Okparaejesi, also known as Alen, a Nigerian national who is suspected of being a transnational drug trafficker.
On Wednesday, March 12, 2025, Okparaejesi, who had been living in Colombia for more than 12 years, was arrested upon his arrival from São Paulo, Brazil, after a thorough investigation conducted by the Attorney General’s Office and the Dijín (Colombian police intelligence unit).
The suspect was accused of organizing massive cocaine shipments to Spain while posing as a businessman in the beauty sector.
According to authorities, Okparaejesi oversaw drug smuggling operations using human couriers and specially made double-bottom suitcases, as well as funding drug purchases.
A detained drug mule traveling to Spain provided information about the Nigerian’s network, which helped to secure his arrest.
This discovery has led to the arrest of 15 additional people connected to his operations.
In 2012, Okparaejesi married a Colombian woman at the Nuestra Señora de Fátima parish in Bogotá, according to investigations.
According to reports, he operated “Nigeria African,” a hair extension company close to Ciudad de Cali Avenue.
El Tiempo was informed by a close associate of the suspect that the Nigerian rarely left Colombia, visiting his family in Africa roughly every two years.
“The last time we spoke, he told us he was in Ghana,” the associate said.
His detention has been confirmed by the Colombian National Penitentiary and Prison Institute (INPEC), which has filed charges against him for drug production, distribution, and trafficking.
