The Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Brig. Gen. Mohamed Marwa (Rtd), has vowed to prevent transnational drug cartels from establishing a foothold in Nigeria.
Marwa spoke as the agency announced the dismantling of another industrial-scale methamphetamine laboratory and the arrest of a suspected Mexican drug kingpin who allegedly attempted to flee Nigeria through the Lagos airport.
Briefing journalists in Lagos on Tuesday, Marwa, who was represented by NDLEA Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, said the latest breakthrough followed months of investigation into a wider criminal network linked to clandestine drug laboratories uncovered in different parts of the country.
He recalled that NDLEA operatives had, on May 16, 2026, arrested three Mexican nationals and seven Nigerian collaborators at a forest hideout in Ogun State.
On June 17, the agency also arrested another Mexican national and four Nigerian collaborators at a clandestine methamphetamine laboratory concealed in a forested area of Tapa village, Ibarapa North Local Government Area of Oyo State.
Field tests at the Oyo laboratory confirmed the presence of large quantities of methamphetamine and precursor chemicals.
According to Marwa, investigations by the agency’s Special Operations Unit (SOU) subsequently established that the 56-year-old Mexican methamphetamine expert arrested at the Oyo laboratory had been recruited into Nigeria by a Mexican drug kingpin.
He said international collaboration enabled investigators to obtain a photograph of the suspected kingpin, which the arrested Mexican national positively identified as the person who recruited and brought him into Nigeria.
NDLEA said intelligence showed that the suspect entered Nigeria on June 10, 2026, alongside another Mexican national.
The agency said its operatives subsequently tracked and arrested Arturo Carrera Loaiza on August 19, 2026, while he was allegedly attempting to leave the country through the Lagos airport.
During interrogation, Loaiza reportedly claimed he had been invited to Nigeria by a Nigerian contact identified as “Henry” for a restaurant business venture. He also denied knowledge of methamphetamine production or any connection with the laboratory in Tapa village.
However, investigators allegedly recovered photographs showing Loaiza wearing a blue laboratory coat and standing beside equipment consistent with methamphetamine production.
Analysis of location metadata from the photographs reportedly led investigators to a property under construction at Isiata Ugoni Okposi in Ebonyi State.
NDLEA operatives raided the property on August 30 and linked it to one John Samuel Ivo Okike. Interviews with a site engineer and caretaker reportedly revealed the presence of a suspicious temporary structure around the septic tank area, as well as persistent chemical odours from the premises.
The agency said a CCTV memory card recovered from the property provided further evidence. Forensic analysis allegedly showed a foreign national wearing a blue laboratory coat, identified as Loaiza, as well as repeated appearances by Okike.
The footage reportedly captured the movement of chemicals and laboratory equipment from the property at about 9pm on August 21, with Okike allegedly directing the operation.
Acting on further intelligence, NDLEA operatives traced the relocated materials to an isolated house in a neighbouring community reportedly under the custody of one Nwanja Obasi.
A subsequent raid led to the recovery of substantial quantities of chemicals, equipment and other materials allegedly linked to methamphetamine production.
The seized items included acetone, toluene, ethanol, hydrochloric acid, P2B and tartaric acid, as well as dehydrators, condensers, reaction equipment, weighing scales, mixers, drums, gas burners and other laboratory paraphernalia.
The agency also recovered a dehydrator containing a white cloth sieve with loose methamphetamine and a blue laboratory coat reportedly matching the one seen in the photographs and recovered at the Ebonyi property.
NDLEA said the recovered materials, CCTV footage, forensic evidence and eyewitness accounts had significantly strengthened the case against those allegedly connected to the network.
Marwa warned that Nigeria would not become a safe haven for international drug cartels seeking to relocate their operations into the country’s forests and rural communities.
“Let me be unequivocal, Nigeria will not be allowed to become a haven for transnational drug cartels seeking to relocate their laboratories from other jurisdictions into our forests and rural communities,” he said.
He added that the arrest of Loaiza and the dismantling of the Ebonyi facility, following the earlier operations in Ogun and Oyo states, demonstrated the agency’s growing intelligence and forensic capabilities.
Marwa commended officers of the Special Operations Unit, Strike Force, Forensics Unit and the NDLEA commands in Oyo, Ogun and Ebonyi states for their professionalism, diligence and courage.
He vowed that the agency would continue to pursue every lead until the wider network, including its financiers and local collaborators, were brought to justice.
The NDLEA also urged Nigerians, particularly residents of rural and forested communities, to report suspicious activities, unusual chemical odours and unfamiliar structures to the agency through its toll-free line, 080010203040, or email, info@ndlea.gov.ng.
