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Gang Boss Spent Years Flooding Dublin with Drugs Before Arrest by Special Unit
LAGOS, NIGERIA, JUL 20 – NDLEA ended a seven-year manhunt by arresting Okpara Paul Chigozie with 11.6kg of cocaine and methamphetamine in Lagos, amid a nationwide crackdown seizing over 875kg of drugs.
- Andrew Pender, aged 52 and residing in Ely Green, Tallaght, Dublin, was handed a 15-year prison sentence by Judge Orla Crowe in Dublin Circuit Criminal Court on July 19, 2024.
- Pender pleaded guilty to possession of drugs for sale and laundering £1,149,920 in cash, managing a sophisticated drug cell supplying north and west Dublin, while investigations continue.
- The Dublin Crime Response Team , active for two years targeting mid-tier gangs, identified Pender as a top target who personally delivered drugs five to 10 times daily over several years.
- The DCRT seized over £48 million worth of drugs and £14 million in cash and gold bullion, and Justice Minister Jim O'Callaghan praised Gardaí for Pender's conviction based on his admission of guilt.
- Taking into account remission and time already served, Pender faces a prison term slightly exceeding 11 years; his criminal organization has been disrupted, although inquiries into his connections with a northwest Dublin group continue.
14 Articles
14 Articles
Gang boss Andrew Pender spent years flooding Dublin with drugs before arrest
Four days after Pender, 52, was jailed for 15 years at the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court, the Sunday Mirror can reveal he was prolific at personally supplying dealers with consignments of drugs in the north and west of the capital
7 years after, NDLEA arrests wanted drug kingpin
Operatives from a special unit of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested a 60-year-old wanted drug kingpin, Okpara Paul Chigozie, after seven years of avoiding the law. He was caught trying to ship large quantities of cocaine and methamphetamine to the South-East and other parts of Nigeria. Okpara had been on the NDLEA wanted list since 2019 and was finally apprehended at 72, Michael Ojo Street, Isheri, in Ojo area of La…
NDLEA Arrests Notorious Drug Kingpin After Seven Years, Seizes Over 11.6kg of Illicit Substances
By Gabriel Ameh, The Sight News In a major breakthrough in Nigeria’s fight against narcotics, operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have apprehended a 60-year-old drug kingpin, Okpara Paul Chigozie, who has been on the agency’s wanted list since 2019. His arrest, which marks the end of a seven-year manhunt, was made on Sunday, July 13, 2025, in Isheri, Lagos State, during a coordinated operation, a statement by the ND…
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