NDLEA Dismantles Suspected Meth Lab in Ebonyi, Arrests Alleged Mexican Drug Kingpin
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, says it has dismantled a suspected industrial-scale methamphetamine laboratory in Ebonyi State and arrested a 56-year-old Mexican national it described as an alleged drug kingpin.
The agency said the operation was the result of months of investigation into a suspected transnational network allegedly attempting to establish clandestine drug laboratories in Nigerian forests and rural communities.
Briefing journalists in Lagos on Tuesday, September 15, the NDLEA Chairman, Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (rtd), said investigators had been following leads from earlier operations in Ogun and Oyo states.
Investigation Spans Three States
According to the NDLEA, the investigation began to reveal a wider network following the arrest of three Mexican nationals and seven Nigerian collaborators at a forest location in Ogun State on May 16, 2026.
On June 17, another Mexican national and four Nigerian collaborators were arrested at a suspected methamphetamine laboratory in a forested area of Tapa village, Ibarapa North Local Government Area of Oyo State.
The agency said field tests at the Oyo location confirmed the presence of methamphetamine and precursor chemicals.
Investigators subsequently identified the 56-year-old Mexican national as Jose Villa Ochoa, who the NDLEA said had allegedly been recruited into Nigeria by another Mexican national, Arturo Carrera Loaiza.
The agency said Ochoa identified Loaiza from a photograph obtained through international partners and told investigators that Loaiza had facilitated his movement into Nigeria.
How Investigators Traced the Ebonyi Facility
The NDLEA said Loaiza entered Nigeria on June 10 alongside another Mexican national, Jose Ceballos Perez.
He was later arrested at Lagos airport on August 19 while allegedly attempting to leave the country.
According to the agency, Loaiza claimed during interrogation that he had been invited to Nigeria by a Nigerian contact identified only as “Henry” for a restaurant business venture. He also denied knowledge of methamphetamine production or involvement with the suspected Oyo laboratory.
The NDLEA, however, said investigators subsequently recovered photographs showing Loaiza wearing a blue laboratory coat and standing beside equipment they believed was consistent with methamphetamine production.
Analysis of location data embedded in the photographs allegedly led investigators to a property under construction at Isiata Ugoni Okposi in Ebonyi State.
CCTV Footage Raises Further Questions
NDLEA operatives visited the Ebonyi property on August 30.
The agency said interviews with people at the site, including a site engineer and caretaker, revealed that a temporary structure had been constructed over a septic tank area behind the building.
They also reportedly told investigators that strong chemical odours had been coming from the premises.
A CCTV memory card recovered from the property became another key part of the investigation, according to the NDLEA.
The agency said forensic examination of the footage showed a foreign national wearing a blue laboratory coat who it identified as matching the individual in the earlier photographs of Loaiza.
The footage allegedly also showed John Samuel Ivo Okike repeatedly appearing at the property.
According to the NDLEA, the CCTV recordings showed chemicals and laboratory equipment being moved from the property at about 9pm on August 21.
The agency alleged that Okike directed the movement with the assistance of other individuals.
Chemicals and Equipment Recovered
Acting on further intelligence, NDLEA operatives said they traced the materials to an isolated house in a neighbouring community.
A subsequent raid allegedly resulted in the recovery of chemicals, laboratory equipment and other materials that the agency linked to suspected methamphetamine production.
Among the items listed by the NDLEA were a dehydrator containing a white cloth sieve with loose methamphetamine and three additional empty dehydrators.
The agency also reported recovering:
- 442.8kg of acetone
- 37.1kg of toluene
- 20kg of an acetone and bromobenzene mixture
- 1.7kg of ethanol
- 5.1kg of chloride salt
- 31.5kg of hydrochloric acid
- 200kg of P2B
- 1kg of tartaric acid
Other recovered items reportedly included condensing units, a condenser head, condenser equipment, a fabricated reaction pot, an access pump, weighing scales, mixers, drums, gas burners, gloves and a blue laboratory coat.
The NDLEA said the recovered materials, CCTV footage, forensic findings and witness accounts had strengthened its investigation into the suspected network.
NDLEA Warns Against Transnational Drug Networks
Marwa said the agency would continue pursuing suspected international drug networks seeking to establish production facilities in Nigeria.
He also said the investigation would continue, including efforts to identify suspected financiers and local individuals allegedly helping the network.
The NDLEA chairman commended officers involved in the operation, including personnel from its Special Operations Unit, Strike Force and Forensics teams, as well as officers from the Oyo, Ogun and Ebonyi commands.
The agency has also appealed to residents, particularly those living around rural and forested communities, to report suspicious activities, unusual chemical smells and unfamiliar structures.
The NDLEA said reports can be made through its toll-free line 080010203040 or by email at info@ndlea.gov.ng.
The investigation remains ongoing, and the allegations made by the agency will ultimately be subject to due legal process.
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