THE National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) on Wednesday said it dismantled what it described as a sophisticated Nigerian-Mexican methamphetamine production syndicate operating from a clandestine laboratory hidden deep inside a forest in Ogun State.
News Point Nigeria reports that the operation, carried out by operatives of the agency’s Special Operations Unit (SOU), led to the arrest of 10 suspects, including the alleged kingpin, three Mexican nationals, and six Nigerian collaborators.
It also led to the seizure of methamphetamine and chemical substances valued at over ₦480 billion.
Speaking during a media briefing in Abuja, NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (retd.) said the operation followed months of intelligence gathering and coordinated raids across Ogun and Lagos states within 48 hours.
“Barely two weeks ago, we announced the successful takedown of a high-profile Drug Trafficking Organization (DTO) headed by Simon Amadi in a complex, multi-country operation involving the US Drug Enforcement Administration, the Swiss, French, and the Greek law enforcement agencies. Today, I am proud to announce that the NDLEA has struck another crippling blow to the heart of transnational organised crime,” said Marwa.
“Through a clinical, simultaneous operation executed by the elite operatives of our Special Operations Unit (SOU), we have successfully dismantled a sophisticated, transnational methamphetamine production syndicate run jointly by a Nigerian drug cartel and their Mexican counterparts,” he added.
Marwa said the syndicate operated a large-scale methamphetamine laboratory located in Abidagba forest in Ijebu East Local Government Area of Ogun State.
“This farm was being used as a massive, highly dangerous clandestine methamphetamine laboratory by the Anochili Innocent Drug Trafficking Organisation (DTO),” he said.
“This network did not just traffic drugs; they were actively manufacturing industrial-scale quantities of highly lethal illicit substances right on our soil, threatening the national security and public health of Nigeria,” he stated.
The NDLEA boss disclosed that operatives stormed the forest laboratory on May 16, catching members of the cartel off guard while processing illicit substances.
Marwa further disclosed that another tactical team simultaneously raided the Lekki residence of the alleged cartel leader, where he was arrested.
“Simultaneously, another tactical team closed in on the luxury residence of the cartel’s mastermind, Anochili Innocent, located at No. 8 Tafawa Balewa Street, Golf Estate, Lakowe, Lekki area of Lagos State. The drug baron was cornered and arrested,” he said.
According to him, a search of the residence led to the recovery of the passports and phones belonging to the arrested Mexican nationals, linking the suspect directly to their importation and operations in Nigeria.
The NDLEA chairman said follow-up operations later led to the arrest of another suspect at another property in Lekki, while operatives also uncovered a stash house allegedly linked to another syndicate member.
Marwa revealed that the operation yielded 2,419.48 kilograms of methamphetamine and precursor chemicals valued at $362.9 million in the international market.
“The operation yielded a massive 2,419.48 kilograms (over 2.4 tons) of chemical materials, including highly toxic, volatile, and crystallized methamphetamine worth $362,922,000.00 in the international market,” he said.
He warned that the NDLEA would continue targeting drug cartels and their collaborators across the country.
“We are fully aware of the shifting tactics of these cartels, including the disturbing trend of hiring South American cartel specialists to set up production factories in our rural communities. Let it be known that no matter how deep into the bush you hide, no matter how secure your gated estate is, the NDLEA will hunt you down, disrupt your networks, and seize your ill-gotten wealth,” Marwa warned.
He also urged Nigerians to remain vigilant and report suspicious activities in their communities, noting that the Ogun forest laboratory operated under the guise of a regular farm.