The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency [NDLEA] has shut down a large Nigerian-Mexican methamphetamine cartel operating from a hidden lab in an Ogun State forest, arresting 10 suspects including three Mexicans and the alleged ring leader.
NDLEA Chairman Mohamed Buba Marwa told journalists in Abuja on Wednesday that the operation led to the recovery of methamphetamine and precursor chemicals worth over N480 billion. He called it the biggest meth bust in Nigeria’s history.
According to Marwa, operatives of the agency’s Special Operations Unit carried out coordinated raids in Ogun and Lagos after months of intelligence work. The main target was a secret production lab in Abidagba forest, Ijebu East Local Government Area.
“Through a clinical, simultaneous operation, we dismantled a sophisticated transnational syndicate run jointly by a Nigerian drug cartel and their Mexican partners,” Marwa said. “They were manufacturing industrial-scale quantities of highly lethal drugs on our soil, threatening both national security and public health.”
On May 16, 2026, officers stormed the forest lab and arrested seven people on the spot. Those detained included four Nigerians and three Mexicans allegedly brought in to produce methamphetamine. The suspects were named as Nwankwo Sunday Christian, Igwe Abuchi Remijus, Ifeanyichukwu Chibuike Joshua, Egwuonwu Uchenna Victor, Martinez Felix Nemecto, Jesus López Valles, and Torrero Juan Carlos.
A second team raided a house at Golf Estate, Lakowe, Lekki, Lagos the same day and arrested the alleged cartel leader, Anochili Innocent. Investigators said they found the passports and phones of the Mexican suspects at the residence, linking him directly to the foreign operatives.
Follow-up raids on May 18 led to two more arrests. Kingsley Orike Omonughwa was picked up at a property in Mayfair Estate, Lakowe, Lekki, while Emeka Nwobum was accused of providing a stash house for the group.
In total, 10 suspects are now in custody: the alleged kingpin, three Mexican experts, and six Nigerian collaborators.
NDLEA officials said they seized 2,419.48 kg of chemical materials and finished methamphetamine. Marwa put the street value at $362.9 million, or about N480 billion. He warned that the drugs, if released, would have produced millions of doses capable of causing widespread violence and psychosis.
Also recovered were a Toyota Tacoma used at the lab and a Toyota Highlander linked to the cartel leader.
Marwa said the operation, coming after the recent arrest of another cartel led by Simon Amadi, sends a clear message to local and foreign drug networks.
“No matter how deep in the bush you hide or how secure your estate is, the NDLEA will find you, break up your network, and seize your assets,” he warned.
He urged Nigerians to report suspicious activity, noting that the forest lab was disguised as a farm. He also praised the Special Operations Unit and forensic teams for the professional execution of the raids.
