The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has dismantled what it described as a major transnational methamphetamine production syndicate operating between Nigerian and Mexican drug traffickers, leading to the arrest of a suspected drug baron, three Mexican nationals, and six other collaborators.
The operation also led to the discovery and shutdown of what authorities described as the largest clandestine methamphetamine laboratory ever uncovered in Nigeria, hidden deep inside a forest in Ogun State.
Addressing journalists at the NDLEA headquarters in Abuja, the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Agency, Brigadier General Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd), said the operation followed months of intelligence gathering and coordinated tactical surveillance across Ogun and Lagos States.
According to Marwa, elite operatives of the Agency’s Special Operations Unit carried out simultaneous operations within 48 hours, targeting a remote forest facility in the Ijebu axis of Ogun State and a luxury residence in the Lekki area of Lagos linked to the alleged mastermind of the syndicate.
He disclosed that operatives stormed the forest laboratory at Abidagba in Ijebu East Local Government Area, where they arrested seven suspects, including three Mexican nationals allegedly brought into the country to provide technical expertise for methamphetamine production.
The NDLEA boss identified the suspected kingpin as Anochili Innocent, who was arrested at his residence in Golf Estate, Lakowe, Lekki. He added that investigators recovered the passports and mobile phones of the foreign suspects from the residence, linking the suspect to the operation.
Those arrested at the Ogun forest laboratory included four Nigerian suspects and the three Mexican nationals identified as Martinez Felix Nemecto, Jesus López Valles, and Torrero Juan Carlos.
Marwa further revealed that follow-up operations led to the arrest of additional suspects at another property linked to the syndicate in the Lekki area of Lagos, bringing the total number of suspects in custody to ten.
According to the NDLEA chairman, operatives recovered over 2,400 kilograms of methamphetamine and precursor chemicals estimated to be worth about 480 billion naira in the international illicit drug market.
He warned that Nigeria would remain hostile territory for drug cartels and transnational criminal networks, stressing that the agency would continue to intensify intelligence-led operations against narcotics trafficking and clandestine drug manufacturing across the country.
Marwa also urged Nigerians to remain vigilant and report suspicious activities, noting that the illegal drug laboratory in Ogun State had been operating under the cover of a farm settlement.
NDLEA Dismantles Nigerian-Mexican Meth Syndicate, Arrests Drug Baron, Three Foreign Experts
