Muhammed Abubakar, Reporting
ABUJA — Nigeria’s National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has dealt a devastating blow to transnational organised crime, dismantling a sophisticated Nigerian-Mexican methamphetamine production syndicate and seizing what it says is the largest haul of the drug in the nation’s history.
In a clinical, simultaneous operation carried out by the agency’s elite Special Operations Unit, officers shut down an industrial-scale clandestine laboratory hidden in a remote forest in Ijebu area of Ogun state. The raid led to the arrest of the cartel’s kingpin, three Mexican technical experts and six top local collaborators.
Addressing a media briefing at NDLEA headquarters in Abuja on Wednesday, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Brig Gen Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd) said the operation followed months of painstaking intelligence gathering.
“Barely two weeks ago, we announced the successful takedown of a high-profile Drug Trafficking Organisation headed by Simon Amadi in a complex, multi-country operation,” Marwa told reporters. “Today, I am proud to announce that the NDLEA has struck another crippling blow to the heart of transnational organised crime.
“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.”
Luxury Fortress And Forest Lab
The coordinated strikes took place across Ogun and Lagos states within a 48-hour period last week. The primary target was a remote farm in Abidagba forest, Ijebu East Local Government Area of Ogun state, which was being used as a massive clandestine laboratory by the Anochili Innocent Drug Trafficking Organisation.
Simultaneously, tactical teams closed in on the mastermind’s luxury residence at No. 8 Tafawa Balewa Street, Golf Estate, Lakowe, Lekki area of Lagos, where drug baron Anochili Innocent was cornered and arrested.
At the forest laboratory, officers apprehended seven key members of the cartel, including three Mexican nationals identified as Martinez Felix Nemecto, 46; Jesús López Valles, 40; and Torrero Juan Carlos, 51. Four Nigerian collaborators – Nwankwo Sunday Christian, 41; Igwe Abuchi Remijus, 42; Ifeanyichukwu Chibuike Joshua, 23; and Egwuonwu Uchenna Victor, 38 – were also arrested at the scene.
A subsequent follow-up operation on Monday led officers to another property owned by the baron at House 70, Close 3, Mayfair Estate, Lakowe, where a further syndicate member, Kingsley Orike Omonughwa, 44, was detained. Another associate, Emeka Nwobum, was arrested at a stash house.
Record-Breaking Seizure
Marwa revealed that the agency’s specialised chemical and forensic team was deployed to the lab to test and secure the chemicals.
“The sheer volume of dangerous precursor chemicals, industrial solvents, and finished products recovered is staggering,” he said.
The operation yielded 2,419.48 kilograms – over 2.4 tonnes – of chemical materials, including highly toxic, volatile and crystallised methamphetamine valued at $362,922,000 (£291 million) in the international market. That translates to more than N480 billion.
“To put this in perspective, the 2,419.48 kilograms of finished and liquid methamphetamine seized represents millions of street doses that would have flooded our local communities and international markets, causing untold destruction, psychosis and violence,” Marwa warned.
‘Nigeria Is A Hostile Territory’
The NDLEA chief issued a stark warning to drug cartels operating locally and internationally.
“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,” he said.
“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.”
Marwa urged Nigerians to remain vigilant, noting that the forest laboratory in Ogun state was operating under the guise of a regular farm.
“Report suspicious activities, strange chemical odours, or unusual movements in your localities,” he said. “This war is for the soul of our nation, and we will not back down until we achieve a drug-free Nigeria.”
