The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has delivered what its chairman described as a devastating blow to transnational organised crime, dismantling what is confirmed as the largest clandestine methamphetamine production laboratory ever discovered in Nigeria — a sophisticated cartel operation hidden deep inside an Ogun State forest and run jointly by a Nigerian drug baron and three imported Mexican chemists.
CDA News Nigeria reports that the NDLEA Chairman, Retired Brigadier General Mohamed Marwa, announced at a media briefing in Abuja that the syndicate had established a fully operational methamphetamine production facility hidden deep inside Abidagba forest in Ijebu East Local Government Area of Ogun State — operating openly under the guise of a regular farm to avoid detection. Legit.ng
The primary strike was launched on Saturday, May 16, 2026, when elite operatives of the agency’s Special Operations Unit (SOU) carried out well-coordinated, simultaneous raids across Ogun and Lagos States within a 48-hour window, following months of painstaking intelligence gathering.
CDA News Nigeria gathered that Seven suspects were arrested at the Ogun forest laboratory, including three Mexican nationals identified as Martinez Felix Nemecto, 46; Jesus López Valles, 40; and Torrero Juan Carlos, 51 — all believed to have been recruited as specialist methamphetamine cooks. Four Nigerian collaborators were also arrested at the scene: Nwankwo Sunday Christian, 41; Igwe Abuchi Remijus, 42; Ifeanyichukwu Chibuike Joshua, 23; and Egwuonwu Uchenna Victor, 38.
Simultaneously, another NDLEA tactical team closed in on the drug baron’s luxury fortress at No. 8 Tafawa Balewa Street, Golf Estate, Lakowe, Lekki, Lagos, where the alleged kingpin, Anochili Innocent, was arrested. A meticulous search of his premises led to the recovery of the international passports and mobile phones of the three arrested Mexican chemists — directly linking him to the importation and management of the foreign criminals.
Follow-up operations on Monday, May 18, 2026, led NDLEA operatives to another property owned by the baron at House 70, Close 3, Mayfair Estate, Lakowe, Lekki, Lagos, where another key syndicate member, Kingsley Orike Omonughwa, 44, was arrested. Investigators then stormed the residence of another member, Emeka Nwobum, whose property served as the cartel’s strategic stash house. The coordinated arrests brought the total number of suspects in custody to 10 — the baron, three Mexican specialists, and six Nigerian collaborators.
The operation yielded a massive 2,419.48 kilograms — over 2.4 tons — of chemical materials, including highly toxic, volatile, and crystallised methamphetamine valued at $362,922,000 on the international market, equivalent to approximately ₦480 billion. Punch
Marwa declared: “Through a clinical, simultaneous operation executed by the elite operatives of our SOU, we have successfully dismantled a sophisticated, transnational methamphetamine production syndicate run jointly by a Nigerian drug cartel and their Mexican counterparts. 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.”
Marwa issued a stern warning to criminal networks: “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 urged Nigerians to report suspicious activities, strange chemical odours, or unusual movements in their localities, noting that the Ogun forest lab had operated for months under the cover of a farm.
The operation marks a historic moment for Nigeria’s anti-narcotics effort and sends a powerful signal that international drug cartels seeking to use Nigerian forests and communities as manufacturing hubs will face fierce and coordinated resistance.
CDA News Nigeria salutes the NDLEA’s Special Operations Unit for this landmark bust.
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