A major anti-narcotics operation has exposed an alleged international methamphetamine network operating across parts of Nigeria, with the arrest of a suspected Mexican drug figure and the discovery of a large-scale laboratory in Ebonyi State.
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, said its operatives arrested Arturo Carrera Loaiza, described by the agency as a suspected methamphetamine kingpin, at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos while he was attempting to leave the country.
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the NDLEA, Brigadier General Buba Marwa (retd), disclosed the development during a media briefing in Lagos, explaining that the arrest followed months of intelligence-led investigations into a criminal network allegedly linked to hidden drug production facilities.
According to the agency, the investigation uncovered activities connected to suspected laboratories in Ogun, Oyo, and Ebonyi States. NDLEA said earlier operations led to the arrest of three Mexican nationals and seven Nigerians at a location in Ogun State on May 16, 2026.
The agency also reported the arrest of another Mexican national, Jose Villa Ochoa, alongside four Nigerians, at a suspected methamphetamine laboratory in Tapa village, Ibarapa North Local Government Area of Oyo State, on June 17, 2026.
NDLEA said further investigations linked Ochoa to Loaiza, who allegedly arrived in Nigeria on June 10 with another Mexican national, Jose Ceballos Perez. The agency stated that digital forensic analysis from devices recovered during the investigation helped trace activities connected to a construction site in Isiata Ugoni Okposi, Ebonyi State.
Following the discovery, NDLEA operatives conducted follow-up operations at the location and nearby properties allegedly connected to local associates. The agency said the raids led to the recovery of methamphetamine production materials, chemical precursors, and laboratory equipment, marking another major intervention in efforts to disrupt international drug trafficking networks operating in Nigeria.
