By Palma Ileye
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has successfully dismantled a massive methamphetamine laboratory hidden in Ogun State.
According to NDLEA spokesperson Femi Babafemi, the operation led to the seizure of over 2.4 tonnes of methamphetamine and chemical precursors valued at $362 million, or more than N480 billion on the international market.
The industrial-scale facility, located deep within the Ijebu East forest, was reportedly run by a Nigerian drug cartel in collaboration with Mexican methamphetamine experts.
“Through a carefully coordinated operation by our Special Operations Unit (SOU), we dismantled a sophisticated, transnational methamphetamine production network,” Babafemi said.
“This syndicate was not just trafficking drugs—they were manufacturing highly lethal substances on an industrial scale, threatening both public health and national security”, he added.
The raids took place on May 16 in Ogun and Lagos states following months of intelligence gathering. The primary target was a secluded farm in Abidagba forest, Ijebu East, used as a clandestine meth lab by the Anochili Innocent Drug Trafficking Organization (DTO).
Another tactical team simultaneously apprehended the alleged cartel leader, Anochili Innocent, at his Lekki, Lagos residence.
At the Ogun site, NDLEA operatives seized the laboratory and arrested three Mexican nationals—Martinez Felix Nemecto, Jesus López Valles, and Torrero Juan Carlos—brought into Nigeria to produce the narcotics. Four Nigerian collaborators—Nwankwo Sunday Christian, Igwe Abuchi Remijus, Ifeanyichukwu Chibuike Joshua, and Egwuonwu Uchenna Victor—were also detained.
Subsequent arrests included Kingsley Orike Omonughwa and Emeka Nwobum, increasing the total number of suspects in custody to 10.
The seizure included 2,419.48 kilograms of methamphetamine and precursor chemicals, along with two vehicles allegedly used for cartel operations: a Toyota Tacoma and a Toyota Highlander.
Babafemi emphasized the scale of the operation: “This haul, valued at over $362 million internationally, shows the enormous threat posed by criminal networks when left unchecked.”
