Nigeria arrests alleged Mexican drug kingpin, discovers meth lab

Loaiza has denied any involvement in methamphetamine production, stating he was invited to Nigeria for a restaurant business venture by a local contact, according to an NDLEA statement. Investigators also found chemicals, dehydrators, condensers, a reaction pot, weighing scales, mixers, drums, gas burners, and a sieve with methamphetamine traces at an isolated house in a neighboring community.

This incident follows two other discoveries of suspected methamphetamine laboratories allegedly linked to Mexicans in recent months. In June, four Nigerians were arrested after a raid on another suspected laboratory in a forest in Oyo state, where Loaiza allegedly recruited a fellow Mexican to work. A month prior, three Mexican nationals and seven Nigerians were arrested at a similar industrial-scale facility in another part of the country.

NDLEA chairman Gen Mohamed Buba Marwa stated that these operations indicate international criminal groups are attempting to establish drug-production facilities in Nigeria's forests and rural communities. He vowed that Nigeria would not become a haven for such cartels. The NDLEA's investigation into the network, including its financiers and facilitators, is ongoing. Synthetic drugs like meth can be produced anywhere with the right chemicals and expertise, making them attractive for organized crime groups to scale up production, and West Africa offers secluded production sites due to its forested land.