NDLEA uncovers ‘largest’ meth lab in Nigeria, arrests three Mexicans, Nigerians

In a significant blow to transnational organized crime, Nigeria's National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has successfully dismantled what is being described as the largest clandestine methamphetamine laboratory ever discovered on its soil. This major operation, conducted across Ogun and Lagos states, has resulted in the arrest of key figures involved in large-scale drug production and trafficking.

The NDLEA, through its elite Special Operations Unit, executed coordinated raids that led to the discovery of an industrial-scale production facility hidden within a forest in the Ijebu area of Ogun State. The scale of the operation is underscored by the seizure of over 2.4 tonnes of methamphetamine, along with substantial quantities of precursor chemicals, indicating a sophisticated and extensive manufacturing network.

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Barely two weeks ago, we announced the successful takedown of a high-profile Drug Trafficking Organisation (DTO) headed by Simon Amadi in a complex, multi-country operation involving the US Drug Enforcement Administration, the Swiss, French, and the Greek law enforcement agencies. Today, I am proud to announce that the NDLEA has struck another crippling blow to the heart of transnational organised crime.

Central to this bust are the arrests of three Mexican nationals, allegedly brought into Nigeria to lend their expertise to the methamphetamine production. They were apprehended alongside an alleged Nigerian drug kingpin, identified as Anochili Innocent, and six Nigerian collaborators. The simultaneous raids targeted both the remote forest laboratory and a residence in the Golf Estate, Lekki, Lagos, where the alleged cartel leader was apprehended.

NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Mohamed Marwa, hailed the operation as another crippling blow to the heart of transnational organized crime. He highlighted the months of intelligence gathering and surveillance that preceded the successful raids. This bust follows closely on the heels of another high-profile takedown of a drug trafficking organization, demonstrating the agency's intensified efforts against drug cartels operating within and through Nigeria. The agency's success in uncovering and dismantling such a large-scale operation sends a strong message about Nigeria's commitment to combating the drug trade.

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Through a clinical, simultaneous operation executed by the elite operatives of our Special Operations Unit (SOU), we have successfully dismantled a sophisticated, transnational methamphetamine production syndicate run jointly by a Nigerian drug cartel and their Mexican counterparts.