The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has dealt another crippling blow to transnational organized crime by completely dismantling a highly sophisticated, multi-million-dollar Nigerian- Mexican methamphetamine production syndicate.

The clinical, simultaneous operation, executed by elite operatives of the Agency’s Special Operations Unit (SOU), led to the shutdown of an industrial-scale clandestine laboratory, the biggest ever discovered in Nigeria hidden in a remote forest in Ijebu area of Ogun state, the seizure of the largest multi-billion naira meth in history, arrest of the cartel’s kingpin, three Mexican technical experts, and six other top local collaborators.

Giving details of the major operational success at a media briefing at the Agency’s headquarters in Abuja on Wednesday 20th May 2026, Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig Gen Mohamed Buba Marwa (rtd) said following months of painstaking and credible intelligence gathering, operatives of a Special Operations Unit of the Agency launched well-coordinated strikes across Ogun and Lagos States within a space of 48 hours last week.

According to him, “barely two weeks ago, we announced the successful takedown of a high-profile Drug Trafficking Organization (DTO) headed by Simon Amadi in a complex, multi-country operation involving the US Drug Enforcement Administration, the Swiss, French, and the Greek law enforcement agencies. Today, I am proud to announce that the NDLEA has struck another crippling blow to the heart of transnational organized crime.

“Through a clinical, simultaneous operation executed by the elite operatives of our Special Operations Unit (SOU), we have successfully dismantled a sophisticated, transnational methamphetamine production syndicate run jointly by a Nigerian drug cartel and their Mexican counterparts.

“This network did not just traffic drugs; they were actively manufacturing industrial-scale quantities of highly lethal illicit substances right on our soil, threatening the national security and public health of Nigeria.

 “After months of painstaking, credible intelligence, our operatives on Saturday, 16th May 2026, launched a well-coordinated, simultaneous strikes in both Ogun and Lagos States.

The primary target was a remote farm located at Abidagba forest, in Ijebu East Local Government Area of Ogun State. This farm was being used as a massive, highly dangerous clandestine methamphetamine laboratory by the Anochili Innocent Drug Trafficking Organization (DTO).

“Simultaneously, another tactical team closed in on the mastermind’s luxury fortress at No. 8 Tafawa Balewa Street, Golf Estate, Lakowe, Lekki area of Lagos State—the residence of the drug baron, Anochili Innocent.

“At the farm in the Ijebu forest, our operatives overran the clandestine laboratory in Ogun State, securing the perimeter and catching the syndicates completely off-guard. At this laboratory, we apprehended seven (7) key members of the cartel processing illicit substances.

“Most notably, the operation confirms our intelligence regarding the importation of foreign technical expertise by local cartels. Among those arrested are three (3) Mexican nationals brought into the country specifically to cook this deadly substance, alongside four (4) Nigerian collaborators.

“The suspects arrested in the forest lab are: Nwankwo Sunday Christian, 41; Igwe Abuchi Remijus, 42; Ifeanyichukwu Chibuike Joshua, 23; and Egwuonwu Uchenna Victor, 38; as well as the three Mexican meth experts: Martinez Felix Nemecto, 46; Jesus López Valles, 40; and Torrero Juan Carlos, 51.

“Simultaneously, another tactical team closed in on the luxury residence of the cartel’s mastermind, Anochili Innocent, located at No. 8 Tafawa Balewa Street, Golf Estate, Lakowe, Lekki area of Lagos State. The drug baron was cornered and arrested. A meticulous search of his premises led to the recovery of the international passports and mobile phones of the three arrested Mexican cooks, directly linking him to the importation and management of the foreign criminals.”

Not done with the dismantling of the drug cartel, Marwa disclosed that relentless follow-up operations on Monday 18th May 2026, led NDLEA operatives to another property owned by the baron at House 70, Close 3, Mayfair Estate, Lakowe, Lekki, Lagos where another key member of the syndicate, Kingsley Orike Omonughwa, 44, was arrested after which investigators stormed the residence of another syndicate member, Emeka Nwobum, whose property served as the cartel’s strategic stash house.

The arrest brings to 10 the total number of cartel members, including the baron, the three Mexican specialists, and six Nigerian collaborators, who are currently in NDLEA custody.

Providing further details of the operation, the NDLEA boss said “I equally directed the deployment of our specialized Chemical and Forensic Team to the clandestine laboratory to test, weigh, and secure the chemical components. The sheer volume of dangerous precursor chemicals, industrial solvents, and finished products recovered is staggering.

“The operation yielded a massive 2,419.48 kilograms (over 2.4 tons) of chemical materials, including highly toxic, volatile, and crystallized methamphetamine worth Three Hundred and Sixty-Two Million, Nine Hundred and Twenty-Two Thousand  Dollars ($362,922,000.00) in the international market. This translates to over Four Hundred and Eighty Billion Naira (N480,000,000,000.00). Imagine this humongous amount in the control of criminal elements! Also recovered from the cartel include: a Toyota Tacoma vehicle used for operations at the clandestine meth laboratory, and a Toyota Highlander seized from the kingpin’s residence.

“To put this in perspective, the 2,419.48 kilograms of finished and liquid methamphetamine seized represents millions of street doses that would have flooded our local communities and international markets, causing untold destruction, psychosis, and violence.”

Marwa noted that the dismantling of the Anochili Innocent DTO, coming directly on the heels of the Simon Amadi cartel takedown, sends an unequivocal, resounding message to drug barons both locally and internationally that Nigeria is a hostile territory for their business, warning that the Agency will continue to hunt them down wherever they are located.

“We are fully aware of the shifting tactics of these cartels, including the disturbing trend of hiring South American cartel specialists to set up production factories in our rural communities. Let it be known that no matter how deep into the bush you hide, no matter how secure your gated estate is, the NDLEA will hunt you down, disrupt your networks, and seize your ill-gotten wealth”, Marwa warned.

While appreciating the support from international partners to keep Nigeria and the global community safe from the criminal activities of drug cartels, he commended “the extraordinary bravery, professionalism, and precision of the NDLEA SOU operatives and our Chemical and Forensic Team. Nigeria owes you all a debt of gratitude.”

He urged Nigerians to remain vigilant adding that the forest lab in Ogun State was operating under the guise of a regular farm. “Report suspicious activities, strange chemical odours, or unusual movements in your localities. This war is for the soul of our nation, and we will not back down until we achieve a drug-free Nigeria”, he added.

(Femi Babafemi is Director (Media and Advocacy), NDLEA Headquarters, Abuja)