Nigeria’s National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) announced on Tuesday, September 15, 2026, that it had dismantled an industrial-scale methamphetamine laboratory in Ebonyi State and arrested a Mexican national allegedly linked to the operation.
The suspect, Arturo Carrera Loaiza, was arrested at an airport in Lagos while allegedly attempting to leave Nigeria. NDLEA spokesperson Femi Babafemi said the arrest followed months of investigations into a wider network suspected of operating clandestine drug laboratories across the country.
Authorities recovered methamphetamine, three empty dehydrators and hundreds of kilograms of chemical compounds, including acetone, ethanol, chloride salt and hydrochloric acid, during the latest operation.
The raid marks the second major drug laboratory operation dismantled by the NDLEA in 2026. In May 2026, authorities arrested members of an organised drug syndicate involving Nigerian and Mexican nationals in southwestern Nigeria.
The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime has identified West and Central Africa as increasingly significant areas for illicit drug trafficking and manufacturing, with porous borders and corruption among factors facilitating the trade.