LAGOS — Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency have uncovered another large-scale methamphetamine lab and arrested Mexican cartel leader Arturo Carrera Loaiza as he tried to exit Nigeria via Lagos airport. NDLEA Chairman, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), disclosed this on Tuesday, September 15, 2026, saying the bust is part of a wider probe into clandestine drug factories discovered in Ogun and Oyo states earlier this year.
The trail began with the June 17 arrest of Mexican chemist Jose Villa Ochoa in a forest lab in Tapa, Ibarapa North, Oyo. Investigations showed Ochoa was brought in by Loaiza, who arrived in Nigeria on June 10 with another Mexican, Jose Ceballos Perez. Digital evidence led NDLEA to a property in Isiata Ugoni Okposi, Ebonyi, linked to John Samuel Ivo Okike. CCTV footage recovered from the site showed Loaiza in a blue lab coat and captured the evacuation of chemicals on August 21. Acting on intelligence, operatives tracked the equipment to a nearby house where they recovered 442.8kg of acetone, 200kg of P2B, toluene, hydrochloric acid and other precursors, along with dehydrators, condensers, reaction vessels and lab gear.
Marwa said the arrests in Ogun, Oyo and now Ebonyi prove NDLEA’s intelligence and forensic capacity can match any transnational syndicate. “Nigeria will not become a safe haven for merchants of death,” he stated, commending the Special Operations Unit and state commands involved. The Agency urged residents of rural and forested communities to report suspicious chemical smells or structures to its toll-free line 080010203040 or email info@ndlea.gov.ng as it continues to hunt for other financiers and collaborators.
