By Adesakin Adefemi
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency has dismantled an industrial-scale methamphetamine laboratory in a remote forest in Ijebu East Local Government Area of Ogun State, arresting 10 suspects including three Mexican nationals.
The operation, carried out on May 16 by NDLEA’s Special Operations Unit, also led to the seizure of over 2.4 tonnes of methamphetamine and chemical materials valued at $362.9 million, or about N480 billion on the international market. The agency described the bust as one of the largest transnational drug production syndicates uncovered in Nigeria.
According to NDLEA spokesperson Femi Babafemi, the laboratory was operated jointly by a Nigerian drug cartel and Mexican methamphetamine experts. He said the network was not just trafficking drugs but actively manufacturing lethal substances on Nigerian soil, posing a threat to national security and public health.
The raids were conducted simultaneously in Ogun and Lagos after months of intelligence gathering. At the Abidagba forest farm in Ijebu East, operatives overran the clandestine facility and arrested seven suspects on site. A tactical team also stormed a residence in Lakowe, Lekki, where the alleged mastermind, Anochili Innocent, was apprehended.
Among those arrested are Mexicans Martinez Felix Nemecto, Jesus López Valles, and Torrero Juan Carlos, who were reportedly brought into the country specifically to produce the drug. Four Nigerian collaborators were also taken into custody at the forest laboratory: Nwankwo Sunday Christian, Igwe Abuchi Remijus, Ifeanyichukwu Chibuike Joshua, and Egwuonwu Uchenna Victor.
Investigators later arrested Kingsley Orike Omonughwa at a property linked to the cartel leader in Lekki. Operatives also raided the residence of Emeka Nwobum, which allegedly served as the syndicate’s stash house. Babafemi said the total number of suspects in custody now stands at 10, including the alleged kingpin.
The seized materials included 2,419.48 kilograms of finished and liquid methamphetamine, toxic precursor chemicals, and industrial solvents. Babafemi stressed that if such an amount had fallen into criminal hands, it would have fueled widespread harm across the country and beyond.
NDLEA Chairman Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa said the operation was executed with clinical precision to dismantle the syndicate’s infrastructure. He noted that the agency’s intelligence-led approach was critical to locating and neutralizing the hidden facility before it could expand production.
The agency also recovered a Toyota Tacoma used at the forest laboratory and a Toyota Highlander seized from the alleged cartel leader’s residence. NDLEA said investigations are ongoing to trace the network’s wider operations and financial flows, as all suspects face prosecution under the NDLEA Act.
