The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a Mexican national, Arturo Carrera Loaiza, over his alleged involvement in a transnational methamphetamine syndicate operating clandestine laboratories in Nigeria.
Loaiza was arrested on August 19, 2026, at the Lagos airport while allegedly attempting to leave the country, following investigations into illegal drug laboratories uncovered in Ogun and Oyo states.
According to the NDLEA, the investigation began after three Mexican nationals and seven Nigerians were arrested at a forest location in Ogun State on May 16, where operatives discovered a clandestine drug laboratory.
A further breakthrough came in June when another Mexican national, Jose Villa Ochoa, described as a methamphetamine expert, was arrested alongside four Nigerian collaborators at a laboratory hidden in a forested area of Oyo State.
Investigators subsequently linked Ochoa to Loaiza, who allegedly recruited him and facilitated his movement into Nigeria.
The investigation later led NDLEA operatives to a property under construction at Isiaka Ugoni Okposi in Ebonyi State after photographs recovered from Loaiza’s phone showed him wearing a laboratory coat and standing around equipment associated with methamphetamine production.
A CCTV memory card recovered from the Ebonyi property reportedly showed a foreign national wearing a blue laboratory coat, identified by investigators as Loaiza, as well as Nigerian suspect John Samuel Ivo Okike.
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The footage also allegedly captured the movement of chemicals and laboratory equipment from the property on August 21.
Following further intelligence, NDLEA operatives traced the materials to another building in a neighbouring community, where they recovered chemicals, laboratory equipment and other items allegedly connected to methamphetamine production.
The agency said the recovered evidence, CCTV footage, forensic findings and witness accounts had strengthened its investigation into the suspected syndicate.
NDLEA Chairman, Brig. Gen. Mohammed Buba Marwa (rtd.), said the agency would continue investigating the network and pursue its financiers and local collaborators.
The suspects are expected to face prosecution in Nigeria over offences allegedly committed within the country.
The NDLEA has also urged residents of rural and forested communities to report suspicious activities, unusual chemical odours, unfamiliar structures and questionable construction projects to the agency.
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