NDLEA busts Mexican meth kingpin at Lagos airport, raids Ebonyi lab

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency has arrested Mexican methamphetamine kingpin Arturo Carrera Loaiza while he attempted to flee Nigeria through the Lagos airport, and dismantled another industrial-scale laboratory in Ebonyi State. According to Punch Newspapers, NDLEA Chief Executive Officer Brig. Gen. Mohamed Marwa said the arrest followed months of investigation into a transnational drug network linked to clandestine laboratories in Ogun, Oyo and Ebonyi states.

Loaiza was tracked and arrested on August 19 after investigators identified him through a Nigerian collaborator he had recruited. Though he denied involvement during interrogation, recovered images and CCTV footage linked him to methamphetamine production. A subsequent raid uncovered substantial chemicals and laboratory equipment. Marwa vowed the agency would continue pursuing the network’s financiers and enablers.w