NDLEA arrests suspected Mexican drug kingpin, uncovers Ebonyi meth lab

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency says it has arrested a suspected Mexican methamphetamine kingpin and uncovered another industrial-scale meth laboratory in Ebonyi State.

The suspect, Arturo Carrera Loaiza, was arrested on August 19 at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos while trying to leave Nigeria, according to reports quoting the agency. NDLEA said the arrest followed months of investigation into a wider network linked to clandestine drug laboratories in Ogun, Oyo and Ebonyi states.

Investigators linked the latest case to earlier operations in Ogun and Oyo, where Mexican nationals and Nigerian collaborators had been arrested in forest locations. NDLEA said the Ebonyi facility contained equipment and materials consistent with methamphetamine production.

The agency said it would not allow international drug cartels to move laboratories into Nigerian forests and rural communities. It also urged residents to report suspicious chemical odours, unfamiliar structures and unusual activities around remote settlements.

The new arrest comes after separate NDLEA operations in May and June exposed suspected methamphetamine production networks involving foreign nationals and local collaborators.

Sources: Channels TV, Premium Times, Punch