The arrest of Arturo Carrera Loaiza followed months of investigations into clandestine methamphetamine laboratories uncovered in Ogun, Oyo and Ebonyi states, according to the anti-narcotics agency.

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has dismantled another industrial-scale methamphetamine laboratory in Ebonyi State and arrested a Mexican national, Arturo Carrera Loaiza, whom the agency described as a suspected kingpin in an international drug-trafficking network.

Loaiza was arrested on August 19 at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, while allegedly attempting to leave Nigeria, the agency said.

His arrest followed months of investigations into clandestine methamphetamine laboratories uncovered in different parts of the country, including Ogun, Oyo and Ebonyi states.

According to the NDLEA, the investigation began after the arrest of Mexican nationals and their Nigerian collaborators at methamphetamine laboratories in Ogun and Oyo states.

The agency said one of the Mexican nationals arrested at a laboratory in Oyo State was a methamphetamine production expert who, during interrogation, identified Loaiza as the individual who recruited him and brought him to Nigeria.

Suspect denies involvement

Following his arrest at the Lagos airport, Loaiza reportedly denied any involvement in the production of methamphetamine.

The NDLEA said the Mexican national claimed he had been invited to Nigeria by a Nigerian contact identified only as “Henry,” who allegedly presented the purpose of the trip as a restaurant business.

However, investigators reportedly recovered photographs from Loaiza that the agency said showed him wearing a laboratory coat and standing alongside equipment allegedly consistent with methamphetamine production.

The discovery, according to the NDLEA, formed part of the evidence being examined as investigators work to establish the full extent of his alleged involvement in the network.

Industrial-scale laboratory uncovered

The agency also announced the dismantling of another industrial-scale methamphetamine laboratory in Ebonyi State as part of its ongoing investigation into illicit drug production.

The operation is the latest in a series of actions by the NDLEA targeting clandestine laboratories allegedly established to manufacture synthetic drugs locally.

The agency said its investigations have uncovered indications of a broader international network allegedly working to establish methamphetamine production facilities in Nigeria.

NDLEA officials are now working to identify other individuals who may have participated in the alleged operation, including Nigerian collaborators and foreign nationals.

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The agency said investigations remain ongoing as it seeks to determine how the laboratories were established, the individuals behind them and the extent of the network's activities.

The development highlights the growing focus of Nigerian anti-narcotics authorities on not only the trafficking of finished drugs but also the local production of synthetic substances.

The NDLEA has continued to target clandestine drug laboratories and alleged international trafficking networks as part of its efforts to disrupt the production and distribution of illicit drugs in the country.