Buruji Kashamu, Man Who Reportedly Led The Drug Ring Behind ‘Orange Is The Black,’ Has Been Arrested

The man who allegedly led the drug ring involving Piper Kerman was arrested May 23, 2015. Above, Taylor Schilling plays the character inspired by Kerman in the Netflix series "Orange Is the New Black." Netflix

The man who was allegedly behind the dope deal that led first to the jailing of Piper Kerman and then to the Emmy Award-winning prison series “Orange Is The New Black” based on her experiences in stir was arrested by Nigeria’s National Drug Law Enforcement Agency Saturday. Buruji Kashamu, 56, was placed under arrest at his home in Lagos, Mitchell Ofoyeju, an agency representative, told the Associated Press.

Kashamu was indicted by a grand jury in Illinois in 1998 for conspiracy to import and distribute heroin. He has claimed it is a case of mistaken identity and that, in fact, his brother was the leader of the purported drug ring. Since then, Kashamu has become an influential political leader in Nigeria, where he was elected as a senator this spring, as AP reported.

The senator-elect barricaded himself in his bedroom as his house was surrounded by drug agents. They reportedly arrived at the house at 4:30 a.m. local time. Kashamu told a SaharaReporters.com correspondent he would commit suicide should anyone enter his home, the citizen-news website said.

Kashamu’s attorney, Ajibola Oluyede, spoke to SaharaReporters.com while inside his client’s house. With his client in the master bedroom, the lawyer stood downstairs with agents inside the house. “Apparently, they are here. According to their leader, who I’ve spoken to, they are here to arrest Mr. Kashamu,” the media outlet reported on Facebook.

However, the agents did not produce an arrest warrant, Oluyede told SaharaReporters.com. When he asked who the agents represented, they replied they had received their orders from the federal attorney general. The lawyer questioned the legality of the arrest.

Kashamu does not have to go to jail. Instead, he was placed under house arrest and surrendered his phone. He is due in court Monday, when the extradition proceedings requested by the U.S. will begin.