The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has dismantled another industrial-scale methamphetamine laboratory and arrested a Mexican drug kingpin accused of helping to establish clandestine drug operations in Nigeria.
The suspect, identified as Arturo Carrera Loaiza, was arrested while attempting to flee Nigeria through the Lagos airport.
The breakthrough was announced by NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), during a media briefing in Lagos on Tuesday, September 15, 2026.
Marwa was represented at the briefing by the Agency’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi.
According to the NDLEA, the latest operation followed months of investigation into a wider transnational network allegedly behind several clandestine methamphetamine laboratories uncovered across Nigeria this year.
The Agency said its investigation intensified after the arrest of three Mexican nationals and seven Nigerian collaborators at a forest hideout in Ogun State on May 16, 2026.
On June 17, another Mexican national and four Nigerian collaborators were arrested 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 facility reportedly confirmed the presence of large quantities of methamphetamine and precursor chemicals.
NDLEA Arrests Mexican Drug Kingpin Arturo Carrera Loaiza
Investigations by the NDLEA Special Operations Unit (SOU) reportedly established a link between the Oyo State operation and Arturo Carrera Loaiza.
The Agency said 56-year-old Mexican methamphetamine expert Jose Villa Ochoa, who was arrested at the Oyo forest laboratory, identified Loaiza as the man who recruited him into Nigeria.
Working with international partners, investigators obtained a photograph of Loaiza.
Villa Ochoa reportedly positively identified the man in the photograph as his recruiter.
Intelligence gathered by the Agency further indicated that Loaiza entered Nigeria on June 10, 2026, alongside another Mexican national, Jose Ceballos Perez.
On August 19, NDLEA operatives tracked down Loaiza and arrested him as he attempted to leave the country through Lagos airport.
Drug Kingpin Denies Knowledge of Methamphetamine Laboratory
During interrogation, Loaiza allegedly claimed that a Nigerian contact identified only as “Henry” had invited him to Nigeria for a restaurant business venture.
He reportedly denied knowledge of methamphetamine manufacturing and rejected any involvement in the Tapa village laboratory.
However, investigators said forensic evidence pointed in another direction.
The NDLEA said investigators recovered photographs showing Loaiza wearing a blue laboratory coat and standing among equipment believed to be consistent with methamphetamine production.
Analysis of location metadata embedded in the photographs reportedly led investigators to a property under construction at Isiata Ugoni Okposi in Ebonyi State.
NDLEA Dismantles Meth Lab Operation in Ebonyi
On August 30, NDLEA operatives raided the Ebonyi property, which the Agency linked to John Samuel Ivo Okike.
Interviews with people at the site, including a site engineer and caretaker, reportedly revealed the construction of a suspicious temporary structure over a septic tank area at the rear of the building.
They also reported persistent strong chemical odours coming from the premises.
A CCTV memory card recovered from the property subsequently provided investigators with crucial evidence.
According to the NDLEA, forensic examination of the footage showed a foreign national wearing a blue laboratory coat on the premises.
The person reportedly matched the photograph of Loaiza previously recovered by investigators.
The footage also allegedly showed repeated appearances by John Samuel Ivo Okike.
The NDLEA said CCTV footage captured the movement of chemicals and laboratory equipment from the property at about 9:00 p.m. on August 21.
Okike was allegedly seen directing the operation while other individuals assisted with relocating the materials.
Acting on additional intelligence from a confidential source, NDLEA operatives reportedly traced the relocated materials to an isolated house in a neighbouring community.
The property was allegedly being kept under the custody of a man identified as Nwanja Obasi.
A subsequent raid led to the recovery of chemicals, laboratory equipment and other materials allegedly linked to methamphetamine production.
The NDLEA said the recovered items included a dehydrator containing a white cloth sieve with loose methamphetamine, as well as three additional empty dehydrators.
Investigators also recovered 442.8kg of acetone, 37.1kg of toluene, 20kg of an acetone/bromobenzene mixture, 1.7kg of ethanol, 5.1kg of chloride salt and 31.5kg of hydrochloric acid.
Other materials reportedly recovered included 200kg of P2B and 1kg of tartaric acid.
The Agency said condensing units, a condenser head, condenser, fabricated reaction pot, access pump, weighing scales, mixers, drums and gas burners were also recovered.
Gloves and a blue laboratory coat matching the one seen in the photographs recovered from the John Samuel property were also reportedly found.
The NDLEA said the recovery, combined with CCTV footage, forensic findings and eyewitness accounts, has strengthened the case against individuals allegedly connected to the network.
Marwa warned that Nigeria would not become a safe haven for international drug cartels seeking to establish laboratories in the country’s forests and rural communities.
He said the arrest of Loaiza and dismantling of the Ebonyi facility, coming after the Ogun and Oyo operations, demonstrated the Agency’s intelligence and forensic capabilities.
The NDLEA chairman also commended officers from the Special Operations Unit, Strike Force, Forensics and the Oyo, Ogun and Ebonyi State Commands.
He praised them for their diligence, professionalism and courage during the operations.
