The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has dismantled a major Nigerian-Mexican methamphetamine cartel, uncovering a massive clandestine drug laboratory hidden deep inside a forest in Ogun State and seizing methamphetamine as well as precursor chemicals valued at about N480 billion.
Chairman of the agency, Mohamed Buba Marwa, disclosed the breakthrough on Wednesday in Abuja, describing the operation as one of the most significant crackdowns on transnational organised crime in Nigeria’s history.
Marwa said the operation was executed by the NDLEA’s Special Operations Unit after months of intelligence gathering, surveillance and coordinated enforcement activities. According to him, operatives carried out simultaneous raids across Ogun and Lagos states within a 48-hour period, leading to the destruction of the drug network’s production and distribution chain.
During the operation, NDLEA officers stormed the hidden laboratory in Ogun State where large quantities of methamphetamine and chemicals used in the production of illicit drugs were recovered. The agency said the syndicate had established an industrial-scale drug manufacturing operation capable of supplying narcotics to both local and international markets.
In a related operation, operatives arrested the alleged leader of the cartel, Anochili Innocent, at his residence in the Lekki area of Lagos State. Items recovered from the property included multiple international passports, mobile phones and other materials believed to connect him with foreign members of the syndicate.
Further intelligence-led raids resulted in the arrest of additional suspects and the discovery of another property allegedly being used as a stash house for narcotics and logistics operations.
Altogether, 10 suspects are currently in NDLEA custody, including the alleged kingpin, three foreign nationals and six Nigerians believed to be members of the criminal network.
Marwa said the cartel was not merely trafficking drugs but also manufacturing them on a large scale, warning that such operations posed grave threats to national security, public health and social stability.
He added that the successful operation demonstrates that Nigeria will no longer serve as a safe haven for international drug cartels, stressing that the NDLEA remains committed to identifying, tracking and dismantling organised criminal networks involved in narcotics production and trafficking.