Colombian authorities, in collaboration with the FBI, have arrested Nigerian national Joseph Chinedu Okparaejesi, also known as Alen, a suspected transnational drug trafficker, at Bogotá’s El Dorado International Airport. Okparaejesi, who had been living in Colombia for over 12 years, was apprehended on March 12, 2025, after arriving from São Paulo, Brazil. His arrest followed a detailed investigation led by the Dijín (Colombian police intelligence unit) and the Attorney General’s Office.
The suspect, who posed as a businessman in the beauty industry, is believed to have coordinated large-scale cocaine shipments to Spain. Authorities revealed that Okparaejesi financed the procurement of drugs and managed operations involving human couriers and specially designed double-bottom suitcases used for smuggling narcotics.
His capture was made possible through intelligence gathered from a detained drug mule on their way to Spain, who provided key information about Okparaejesi’s network. As a result, 15 other individuals connected to his operations have also been arrested.
Investigations show that Okparaejesi married a Colombian woman in 2012 at the Nuestra Señora de Fátima parish in Bogotá. He reportedly ran a business called “Nigeria African,” selling hair extensions near Ciudad de Cali Avenue. A close associate revealed that Okparaejesi rarely left Colombia, traveling to Africa about once every two years to visit family. “The last time we spoke, he told us he was in Ghana,” the associate said.
The Colombian National Penitentiary and Prison Institute (INPEC) has confirmed Okparaejesi’s detention, with charges of drug trafficking, production, and distribution filed against him.
