The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, has arrested a 56-year-old Mexican suspected methamphetamine expert who allegedly attempted to flee Nigeria through the Lagos airport, following an investigation that led to the discovery of another clandestine drug laboratory in Ebonyi State.
The suspect, identified as Arturo Carrera Loaiza, was arrested on August 19, 2026, after NDLEA operatives allegedly established his links to a network involved in setting up methamphetamine laboratories in Nigeria.
The agency said its investigation uncovered the Ebonyi facility after operatives traced forensic evidence from photographs recovered during their probe into a separate methamphetamine laboratory discovered in Oyo State.
NDLEA Chairman, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), disclosed the development on Tuesday in Lagos through the agency’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi.
How NDLEA tracked Mexican suspect
Marwa said the investigation began after operatives arrested a Mexican national, Jose Villa Ochoa, at a clandestine laboratory hidden in a forested area of Tapa village, Ibarapa North Local Government Area of Oyo State.
Ochoa, according to the agency, identified Loaiza as the Mexican national who recruited him and brought him into Nigeria.
Working with international partners, investigators reportedly obtained a photograph of Loaiza, which Ochoa positively identified as his recruiter.
The agency said further intelligence showed that Loaiza entered Nigeria on June 10 alongside another Mexican national, Jose Ceballos Perez.
He was later tracked to the Lagos airport and arrested while allegedly attempting to leave the country.
During questioning, Loaiza reportedly denied any involvement in methamphetamine production, claiming that a Nigerian contact known only as “Henry” had invited him to Nigeria for a restaurant business venture.
The NDLEA, however, said investigators recovered photographs showing Loaiza wearing a blue laboratory coat in a facility containing equipment associated with methamphetamine production.
Forensic analysis of the location data embedded in the photographs reportedly led investigators to a property under construction at Isiata Ugoni Okposi in Ebonyi State.
CCTV footage leads to Ebonyi drug lab
When NDLEA operatives searched the property on August 30, they allegedly discovered several signs pointing to its use for clandestine drug production.
The agency said workers at the site, including the engineer and caretaker, drew investigators’ attention to a suspicious temporary structure near the rear of the building and persistent chemical odours coming from the premises.
A CCTV memory card recovered from the property subsequently provided further evidence, according to the NDLEA.
The agency said footage showed a foreign national wearing a blue laboratory coat, whom investigators identified as Loaiza, as well as repeated appearances by John Samuel Ivo Okike.
The footage allegedly captured Okike and others moving chemicals and laboratory equipment from the property at about 9pm on August 21.
Acting on information from a confidential source, NDLEA operatives traced the relocated materials to an isolated house in a neighbouring community allegedly under the custody of Nwanja Obasi.
A raid on the building led to the recovery of substantial quantities of chemicals, laboratory equipment and other items suspected to have been used in methamphetamine production.
The agency said the evidence recovered from the location, together with the CCTV footage, forensic findings and witness accounts, had strengthened its case against members of the alleged network.
The latest operation follows earlier NDLEA actions against foreign nationals allegedly involved in clandestine drug production.
Marwa recalled that three Mexican nationals and seven Nigerian collaborators were arrested at a forest hideout in Ogun State on May 16, while another Mexican national and four Nigerian collaborators were arrested at a methamphetamine laboratory in Oyo State on June 17.
Describing the operations as evidence of the agency’s determination to prevent Nigeria from becoming a base for international drug syndicates, Marwa said the NDLEA would pursue the investigation until all those involved were brought to justice.
“Nigeria will not be allowed to become a haven for transnational drug cartels seeking to relocate their laboratories from other jurisdictions into our forests and rural communities,” he said.
He commended personnel of the Special Operations Unit, Strike Force, Forensics and the Oyo, Ogun and Ebonyi State Commands for their roles in the operations.
The NDLEA urged residents, particularly those in rural and forest communities, to report suspicious activities, unusual chemical odours and unfamiliar structures to the agency through its established channels.
