By Jane Okafor, Abuja
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has dismantled a major transnational methamphetamine cartel jointly operated by Nigerian traffickers and Mexican drug experts, recovering illicit drugs and chemical substances valued at over N480 billion.
The operation, described as one of the biggest anti-drug breakthroughs in Nigeria’s history, led to the arrest of 10 suspects, including the alleged kingpin, three Mexican nationals and six Nigerian collaborators.
Addressing journalists in Abuja on Wednesday, NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), said elite operatives from the agency’s Special Operations Unit carried out coordinated raids across Ogun and Lagos states after months of intelligence gathering.
According to Marwa, the agency uncovered and shut down what he described as the largest clandestine methamphetamine laboratory ever discovered in Nigeria, hidden inside Abidagba forest in Ijebu East Local Government Area of Ogun State.
He said the cartel operated an industrial-scale meth production facility capable of flooding local and international markets with dangerous narcotics.
Marwa disclosed that operatives stormed the forest laboratory on May 16, catching members of the syndicate while processing illicit substances.
Among those arrested at the site were four Nigerians — Nwankwo Sunday Christian, Igwe Abuchi Remijus, Ifeanyichukwu Chibuike Joshua and Egwuonwu Uchenna Victor — alongside three Mexican nationals identified as Martinez Felix Nemecto, Jesus López Valles and Torrero Juan Carlos, who were allegedly brought into Nigeria to manufacture methamphetamine.
Simultaneously, another NDLEA tactical team raided the Lekki residence of the alleged cartel leader, Anochili Innocent, located at Golf Estate, Lakowe, Lagos, where he was arrested.
Marwa said investigators recovered the passports and mobile phones of the Mexican suspects from the kingpin’s residence, linking him directly to their recruitment and operations in Nigeria.
Further operations on May 18 led operatives to another property linked to the syndicate at Mayfair Estate, Lakowe, where another suspect, Kingsley Orike Omonughwa, was arrested.
The NDLEA boss said investigators also uncovered a separate stash house belonging to another cartel member, Emeka Nwobum.
He revealed that the agency recovered 2,419.48 kilograms of chemical substances, including crystallized and liquid methamphetamine, precursor chemicals and industrial solvents estimated at $362.9 million on the international market, equivalent to more than N480 billion.
Vehicles allegedly used for the operation, including a Toyota Tacoma and a Toyota Highlander, were also seized.
Marwa warned that Nigeria would remain hostile territory for drug cartels and vowed that the agency would continue tracking criminal networks operating within and outside the country.
He noted a growing trend of foreign drug experts being recruited by local cartels to establish illegal meth laboratories in remote communities.
The NDLEA chairman commended the agency’s operatives and forensic teams for what he described as a courageous and highly professional operation, while urging Nigerians to report suspicious activities, strange chemical odours and unusual movements in their communities.
