The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has uncovered and dismantled what it described as the biggest m£thamephamine production syndicate ever discovered in Nigeria.
The operation, carried out by the agency’s Special Operations Unit, led to the shutdown of a massive hidden m£th lab located inside a remote forest in Ijebu, Ogun State.
NDLEA also arrested the alleged kingpin, three Mexican nationals accused of producing the substance, and six Nigerian collaborators.
Speaking in Abuja on Wednesday, NDLEA Chairman, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), said the operation followed months of intelligence gathering and coordinated raids across Ogun and Lagos within 48 hours.
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According to him, operatives stormed a secret laboratory inside Abidagba forest in Ijebu East on May 16, catching members of the syndicate while processing illegal substances. Three Mexican experts allegedly brought into Nigeria to manufacture m£th were arrested alongside four Nigerians at the site.
The suspects include Martinez Felix Nemecto, Jesus López Valles, Torrero Juan Carlos, Nwankwo Sunday Christian, Igwe Abuchi Remijus, Ifeanyichukwu Chibuike Joshua, and Egwuonwu Uchenna Victor.
At the same time, another NDLEA team arrested the alleged cartel boss, Anochili Innocent, at his luxury residence in Lekki, Lagos. Investigators reportedly recovered the passports and phones of the Mexican suspects from his home, linking him directly to the operation.
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Further raids later led to the arrest of two more suspected members of the syndicate, bringing the total number of arrests to 10.
NDLEA said the operation uncovered over 2,419 kilograms of m£thamephamine and chemical materials valued at about $362.9 million, estimated at more than N480 billion in the international market.
Marwa described the discovery as a major blow against transnational organized crime, warning that the seized drugs could have flooded communities and caused widespread d+struction.
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