By Benson Daniel
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a suspected Mexican drug kingpin attempting to leave Nigeria, while dismantling another industrial-scale methamphetamine laboratory in Ebonyi State.
The suspect, identified as Arturo Carrera Loaiza, was arrested at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos following months of investigation into a wider transnational drug network operating across parts of the country.
NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Marwa (retd.), said the operation demonstrated the agency’s determination to prevent international drug cartels from establishing production bases in Nigeria.
Marwa warned that Nigeria would not become a safe haven for criminal organisations seeking to relocate their operations into the country, particularly forests and rural communities where clandestine laboratories could be established.
The investigation followed the arrest of three Mexican nationals and seven Nigerians at a forest location in Ogun State in May. Further investigations led operatives to another suspected methamphetamine laboratory in Oyo State, where another Mexican national and four Nigerians were arrested in June.
According to the agency, investigators subsequently established links between the suspects and Loaiza, who was identified as the alleged recruiter of a Mexican methamphetamine expert involved in the network.
The NDLEA said information obtained during the investigation eventually led officers to a property in Ebonyi State, where they uncovered another suspected laboratory.
Investigators reportedly found evidence suggesting that the facility was being prepared for illicit drug production, while residents and workers around the property had previously noticed persistent chemical odours coming from the area.
The agency said forensic examination of materials recovered during the investigation further strengthened the link between Loaiza and the suspected laboratory operation.
Marwa described the development as another significant breakthrough in the agency’s campaign against transnational drug trafficking and clandestine drug production.
He said the NDLEA would continue to work with international partners and intensify surveillance to identify foreign criminal networks attempting to establish operations in Nigeria.
The agency also appealed to residents, particularly those living around rural and forest communities, to report suspicious activities, unfamiliar structures and unusual chemical odours that could indicate the presence of clandestine drug laboratories.
The latest operation highlights growing concerns over attempts by international drug organisations to exploit Nigeria as a production or transit point for illicit substances.
The NDLEA said its ongoing investigations would continue as efforts intensify to identify other individuals and networks connected to the suspected cartel operations.
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