NDLEA arrests Mexican drug suspect, finds meth lab in Ebonyi

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a Mexican man accused of bringing a methamphetamine expert into Nigeria. They also discovered a suspected meth lab in Ebonyi State.

The suspect, Arturo Carrera Loaiza, was caught on 19 August while trying to leave Nigeria at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport in Lagos.

His arrest followed months of investigation into meth production involving Mexican and Nigerian nationals in Ogun and Oyo states.

NDLEA Chairman Buba Marwa shared this information during a press briefing in Lagos on Tuesday. Mr Marwa, who is a retired brigadier general, was represented by Femi Babafemi, the agency’s Director of Media and Advocacy.

Mr Marwa explained that the investigation began with the arrest of three Mexican nationals and seven Nigerians in a forest hideout in Ogun State on 16 May.

A month later, on 17 June, NDLEA agents arrested another Mexican, 56-year-old Jose Villa Ochoa, along with four Nigerians at a suspected meth lab in Tapa village, Ibarapa North Local Government Area of Oyo State.

Field tests at that location confirmed the presence of methamphetamine and chemicals used in its production. Investigators later found that Mr Ochoa was recruited into Nigeria by Mr Loaiza.

The NDLEA stated that they worked with international partners to get a photograph of Mr Loaiza. Mr Ochoa identified him as the person who brought him to Nigeria.

According to the NDLEA, Mr Loaiza entered Nigeria on 10 June with another Mexican, Jose Ceballos Perez. After his arrest, Mr Loaiza claimed a Nigerian named Henry invited him to Nigeria for a restaurant business. He denied knowing anything about meth production or the lab in Oyo State.

However, Mr Marwa revealed that investigators later found photos showing Mr Loaiza in a blue lab coat among equipment believed to be used for meth production. He said these photos led investigators to the next clue.

The agency stated that data from the photos directed investigators to a building under construction at Isiata Ugoni Okposi in Ebonyi State. On 30 August, agents searched the property and linked it to John Samuel Ivo Okike.

People interviewed at the site, including a site engineer and caretaker, told investigators about a temporary structure over a septic tank and strange chemical smells coming from the property.

Investigators also found a CCTV memory card at the site. The NDLEA said a forensic review of the footage showed a foreign national in a blue lab coat, identified as Mr Loaiza. Mr Okike was also seen multiple times at the property.

The footage reportedly showed chemicals and lab equipment being moved from the property around 9 p.m. on 21 August, with Mr Okike directing the operation. The materials were traced to a secluded house in a nearby community, where Nwanja Obasi was said to have kept them.

A search of this house uncovered chemicals, lab equipment, and other items linked to meth production. The NDLEA noted they seized 442.8kg of acetone, 37.1kg of toluene, 20kg of an acetone/bromobenzene mixture, 1.7kg of ethanol, 5.1kg of chloride salt, 31.5kg of hydrochloric acid, 200kg of P2B, and 1kg of tartaric acid.

Operatives also found dehydrators, a condenser, a fabricated reaction pot, pumps, weighing scales, mixers, drums, gas burners, and other lab equipment. One dehydrator had a white cloth sieve with loose methamphetamine inside, while three others were empty.

The blue lab coat found at the site matched the coat worn by Mr Loaiza in the photos and CCTV footage. The NDLEA said the photos, CCTV footage, forensic evidence, and witness statements will help with the investigation of those involved in the alleged drug network.

This incident follows two significant NDLEA operations involving Mexicans and suspected meth labs in the South-west since May. "Through a careful, coordinated operation by our elite Special Operations Unit, we have taken down a drug production syndicate run by a Nigerian cartel and their Mexican partners," Mr Marwa said.

He mentioned the main target was a remote property in Abidagba forest in Ogun State, used by a group called the Anochili Innocent Drug Trafficking Organisation. Another team raided a house on Tafawa Balewa Street, Golf Estate, Lakowe, Lekki, Lagos, where they arrested the cartel's leader, Anochili Innocent.

The agency has charged 10 individuals, including the three Mexicans arrested at the forest lab, over the alleged production of 2,419.48kg of methamphetamine. They pleaded not guilty.

Mr Marwa said the agency will keep investigating the network and pursue those who financed the operations or worked with the foreign nationals. "Nigeria will not be a safe place for drug cartels looking to move their labs into our forests and rural areas," he said.

He praised the officers involved in the operations, especially the Special Operations Unit, Strike Force, and Forensics teams, as well as NDLEA commands in Ogun, Oyo, and Ebonyi.