The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has uncovered a suspected industrial-scale methamphetamine laboratory in Ebonyi State and arrested a Mexican national allegedly linked to a wider transnational drug-production network operating in Nigeria.
The suspect, identified as Arturo Carrera Loaiza, was arrested on August 19, 2026, while allegedly attempting to leave Nigeria through the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos.
The NDLEA disclosed the development during a press briefing in Lagos on Tuesday, September 15.
The agency described Loaiza as an alleged Mexican drug kingpin, but he has denied involvement in methamphetamine production. According to the NDLEA, Loaiza told investigators that he came to Nigeria at the invitation of a Nigerian contact identified as “Henry” for a restaurant business.
How the investigation led to Ebonyi
The discovery in Ebonyi followed an investigation into suspected clandestine methamphetamine laboratories in Ogun and Oyo states.
The NDLEA said its investigation began after three Mexican nationals and seven Nigerians were arrested at a forest location in Ogun State on May 16.
On June 17, another Mexican national, Jose Villa Ochoa, and four Nigerian collaborators were arrested at a suspected methamphetamine laboratory in Tapa village, Ibarapa North Local Government Area of Oyo State.
Field tests at the Oyo location reportedly confirmed the presence of methamphetamine and precursor chemicals.
According to the NDLEA, investigators later linked Loaiza to Ochoa after Ochoa allegedly identified him as the person who recruited him and facilitated his movement into Nigeria.
The agency said Loaiza entered Nigeria on June 10 alongside another Mexican national, Jose Ceballos Perez.
Photographs and CCTV footage provide lead
The investigation reportedly took a major turn after investigators recovered photographs showing Loaiza wearing a blue laboratory coat while standing among equipment believed to be associated with methamphetamine production.
The NDLEA said analysis of location data embedded in the photographs led investigators to a property under construction at Isiata Ugoni Okposi in Ebonyi State.
Operatives searched the property on August 30 and linked it to John Samuel Ivo Okike.
People interviewed at the property, including a site engineer and caretaker, reportedly told investigators that a temporary structure had been erected over the septic-tank area behind the building.
They also reportedly noticed strong chemical odours around the premises.
The NDLEA said analysis of location data embedded in the photographs led investigators to a property under construction at Isiata Ugoni Okposi in Ebonyi State.
The footage also allegedly showed Okike repeatedly appearing at the location and directing the movement of chemicals and laboratory equipment from the premises around 9 p.m. on August 21.
The materials were later traced to an isolated house in a neighbouring community, where the agency said they were kept under the custody of another man identified as Nwanja Obasi.
NDLEA recovers hundreds of kilogrammes of chemicals
A search of the house reportedly led to the recovery of chemicals, laboratory equipment and other materials suspected to be connected with methamphetamine production.
The NDLEA listed some of the recovered substances as 442.8kg of acetone, 37.1kg of toluene, 31.5kg of hydrochloric acid and 200kg of P2B, alongside other chemicals.
The agency also reported recovering dehydrators, condensing units, a condenser head, fabricated reaction pot, access pump, weighing scales, mixers, drums, gas burners, gloves and other laboratory equipment.
According to the NDLEA, one dehydrator contained a white cloth sieve embedded with loose methamphetamine, while three other dehydrators were empty.
A blue laboratory coat recovered from the location was also reportedly said to correspond with the coat seen in photographs and CCTV footage.
The agency has not disclosed the estimated production capacity of the suspected laboratory.
It also has not stated that finished methamphetamine was produced in Ebonyi beyond the traces and loose substance reportedly recovered during the operation.
Ebonyi operation linked to wider investigation
The NDLEA described the Ebonyi discovery as the third major suspected methamphetamine laboratory operation allegedly linked to Mexican nationals within four months.
Earlier operations in Ogun and Oyo had also resulted in the arrest of Mexican nationals and Nigerian collaborators in connection with suspected synthetic-drug production.
In the Ogun operation, the agency said 10 suspects were arrested and charged in connection with the alleged production of 2,419.48kg of methamphetamine.
The accused persons pleaded not guilty.
The NDLEA said its investigation into the wider network is continuing, with photographs, CCTV footage, forensic findings and witness accounts forming part of the evidence being examined.
NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), represented at the briefing by the agency’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, said the agency would continue pursuing individuals suspected of financing the operations or providing local support.
The agency also urged residents, particularly those in rural and forest communities, to report suspicious activities, unusual chemical odours and unfamiliar structures to law-enforcement authorities.
The investigation remains ongoing, and allegations against Loaiza and the other suspects have yet to be tested in court.
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