The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has dismantled another industrial-scale methamphetamine laboratory and arrested a Mexican national, identified as Arturo Carrera Loaiza, who was allegedly attempting to flee Nigeria through the Lagos airport.
The NDLEA said the breakthrough followed months of investigation into a wider transnational drug network linked to clandestine laboratories uncovered in Ogun and Oyo states. Investigators reportedly traced Loaiza to the network after a Mexican methamphetamine expert arrested at a forest laboratory in Oyo State identified him as the person who recruited him into Nigeria.
According to the agency, Loaiza was arrested on August 19, 2026, while attempting to leave the country. Subsequent investigations linked him to a property in Ebonyi State, where CCTV footage allegedly showed him in a laboratory coat and captured the movement of chemicals and laboratory equipment from the premises.
A raid on another location where the materials were allegedly relocated led to the recovery of large quantities of chemicals, laboratory equipment and methamphetamine-related paraphernalia. The NDLEA said the evidence has strengthened its case against individuals connected to the network.
NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brigadier General Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd.), warned that Nigeria would not become a safe haven for transnational drug cartels seeking to establish laboratories in the country. He also commended officers involved in the operations and called on Nigerians to report suspicious activities, unusual chemical odours and unfamiliar structures in their communities.
