NDLEA busts Nigerian-Mexican drug cartel operating in Ogun forest, recovers drugs worth ₦480 billion

• NDLEA announces the bust of a Nigerian-Mexican drug cartel-run lab situated in the forest of Ogun state

• The agency said it seized drugs worth 450 billion naira

• NDLEA says this is the biggest drug lab ever uncovered in Nigeria.

The NDLEA in a post on its official X account, announced the uncovering of a Mexican drug syndicate located in the forest of Ogun state, Nigeria, where members of the cartel ran a lab where drugs like crystal meth are being manufactured in large quantities.

The post shared on May 20, 2026, listed Mexican nationals Martinez Felix Nemecto and Jesus Lopez Valles as two Crystal Meth experts behind the lab. A Nigerian, Innocent Anochili, was named as the baron while two other Nigerians, Omonuhwa Kingsley Orike and Emeka Nwobum, were named as associates.

According to the NDLEA, a large cache of meth valued at ₦480 billion was recovered in the burst executed by the Agency's elite Special Operations Unit (SOU). The Agency described the lab as the biggest ever discovered in Nigeria.

"After months of painstaking, credible intelligence, our operatives on Saturday, 16th May 2026, launched a well-coordinated, simultaneous strike 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 Organisation (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 operation led to the arrest of 10 suspects, including the baron, three Mexican specialists, and three Nigerian collaborators, who are all in NDLEA custody and awaiting prosecution.

“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 specialised Chemical and Forensic Team to the clandestine laboratory to test, weigh, and seal the items recovered before decommissioning the facility.”

The NDLEA also shared a clip of the operation showing the lab, which was a large tent and another large construction within a fenced premises located in a dense forest of Ogun State. The lab had industrial-sized equipment used in the manufacturing process of meth worth hundreds of billions.

The arrest marks a major victory for Nigeria's fight against drug abuse, especially crystal meth, which is becoming increasingly popular and harmful to the country's large youth population. The agency recently announced intentions to conduct compulsory drug tests for university students as part of the efforts in combating drug use.

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