The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency has arrested a suspected Mexican drug kingpin and dismantled an industrial-scale methamphetamine laboratory in Ebonyi State.

The suspect, identified as Arturo Carrera Loaiza, was arrested on August 19, 2026, while allegedly attempting to flee Nigeria through the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos.

The NDLEA Chairman, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), disclosed the development during a briefing with journalists in Lagos on Tuesday.

According to Marwa, represented by the agency’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, the arrest followed months of investigation into a transnational drug syndicate linked to clandestine methamphetamine laboratories discovered in different parts of the country.

He said the investigation began after NDLEA operatives arrested three Mexican nationals and seven Nigerians at a forest hideout in Ogun State on May 16, 2026.

International collaboration subsequently provided investigators with a photograph of Loaiza, who was reportedly identified by one of the suspects as the person who recruited him and brought him into Nigeria.

Marwa said intelligence showed that Loaiza entered Nigeria on June 10 alongside another Mexican national, Jose Ceballos Perez.

The NDLEA subsequently tracked Loaiza to Lagos, where he was arrested while attempting to leave the country.

The agency also uncovered an industrial-scale methamphetamine laboratory in Ebonyi State as part of the investigation. The operation reportedly led to the recovery of methamphetamine, three empty dehydrators and various chemicals used in the production of the illicit drug.

The NDLEA said the operation formed part of its wider efforts to dismantle transnational drug networks and prevent Nigeria from being used as a production hub for illicit drugs.