The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has dismantled what it described as Nigeria’s largest illicit methamphetamine production facility, valued at approximately $360 million, in Ogun State, saying the laboratory was linked to members of a Mexican drug cartel.
The Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the NDLEA, Brig.-Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), disclosed this during the public destruction of the laboratory and other seized illicit substances in Ijebu-Igbo, Ogun State. He said the operation marked a major breakthrough in the agency’s campaign against organised drug trafficking and clandestine drug manufacturing. Reports of the operation have been corroborated by multiple media outlets.
According to Marwa, the laboratory, located in the Ifo area of Ogun State, had the capacity to produce large quantities of methamphetamine for both local consumption and international trafficking. He said investigations established links between the facility and members of a Mexican drug trafficking network operating in Nigeria.
The NDLEA boss noted that the agency had previously arrested several suspects, including foreign nationals and their Nigerian collaborators, in connection with the illegal operation. Some of the suspects, he added, are currently facing prosecution, while investigations continue to identify and apprehend other members of the syndicate.
Marwa said the destroyed laboratory and the chemicals recovered from the site were estimated to be worth $360 million, describing the seizure as one of the most significant in the agency’s history.
He explained that the decision to destroy the facility followed the completion of forensic documentation and the approval of the appropriate court, in line with legal procedures governing the disposal of illicit drug exhibits.
The NDLEA also raised concerns about the environmental and public health risks posed by clandestine drug laboratories, warning that the chemicals used in methamphetamine production can contaminate soil and water sources and expose nearby communities to hazardous substances.
Marwa reaffirmed the agency’s commitment to dismantling drug production networks across the country, stressing that Nigeria would not serve as a safe haven for international drug cartels.
He called for greater collaboration among security agencies, local communities and international partners in tackling drug trafficking and transnational organised crime.
The destruction exercise formed part of the NDLEA’s ongoing offensive against illicit drug production and trafficking, which has resulted in the seizure of large quantities of narcotics, arrests of suspected traffickers and the dismantling of several clandestine laboratories across Nigeria in recent years.
