The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency has dismantled a transnational methamphetamine production network jointly operated by a Nigerian drug cartel and Mexican collaborators, leading to the arrest of 10 suspects and the recovery of illicit drugs and chemicals valued at over N480 billion.
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the agency, Buba Marwa, disclosed this on Wednesday during a media briefing in Abuja, describing the operation as the discovery of the largest clandestine methamphetamine laboratory ever uncovered in Nigeria.
According to Marwa, operatives of the agency’s Special Operations Unit uncovered the hidden laboratory inside Abidagba Forest in Ijebu East Local Government Area of Ogun State, where it was allegedly being run by the Anochili Innocent Drug Trafficking Organisation.
He said the operation, carried out simultaneously in Ogun and Lagos State on May 16, followed months of intelligence gathering.
“Through a clinical, simultaneous operation executed by the elite operatives of our Special Operations Unit, we have successfully dismantled a sophisticated, transnational methamphetamine production syndicate run jointly by a Nigerian drug cartel and their Mexican counterparts.
“This network did not just traffic drugs; they were actively manufacturing industrial-scale quantities of highly lethal illicit substances right on our soil,” Marwa said.
Seven suspects were arrested at the forest laboratory, including three Mexican nationals allegedly brought into Nigeria to supervise meth production. They were identified as Martinez Felix Nemecto, 46; Jesus López Valles, 40; and Torrero Juan Carlos, 51.
The Nigerian suspects arrested at the site were listed as Nwankwo Sunday Christian, 41; Igwe Abuchi Remijus, 42; Ifeanyichukwu Chibuike Joshua, 23; and Egwuonwu Uchenna Victor, 38.
Marwa said another team later arrested the alleged kingpin, Anochili Innocent, at his residence in Lakowe, Lekki, where investigators recovered the passports and mobile phones of the Mexican nationals, allegedly linking him directly to their entry and operations in Nigeria.
Further operations on May 18 led to the arrest of another suspect, Kingsley Orike Omonughwa, at a property in Mayfair Estate, Lakowe, while operatives also raided the residence of Emeka Nwobum, believed to have served as the cartel’s stash location.
The NDLEA boss said the operation yielded 2,419.48 kilograms of methamphetamine and precursor chemicals.
“The operation yielded a massive 2,419.48 kilograms of chemical materials, including highly toxic, volatile, and crystallised methamphetamine worth $362,922,000 in the international market. This translates to over N480bn,” he said.
Recovered items also included a Toyota Tacoma allegedly used at the forest laboratory and a Toyota Highlander seized from the residence of the suspected cartel leader.
Marwa warned that the agency would continue targeting drug syndicates and their collaborators, noting a growing trend of foreign cartel specialists being recruited to establish drug production hubs in rural communities.
“We are fully aware of the shifting tactics of these cartels, including the disturbing trend of hiring South American cartel specialists to set up production factories in our rural communities,” he said.
He urged residents to report suspicious activities, noting that the Ogun laboratory had been disguised as a regular farm.
The development comes days after NDLEA operatives in Edo State destroyed two cannabis farms in Ago Forest, Orhionmwon Local Government Area, with a reported yield of 1,388.42kg and arrested four suspected traffickers.