The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, says it has dismantled a clandestine methamphetamine laboratory allegedly linked to a Nigerian-Mexican drug network in Eziama community, Obeagu, Awgu Local Government Area of Enugu State.
The operation followed months of intelligence gathering and surveillance by the agency’s Special Operations Unit and resulted in the arrest of two suspects identified as 45-year-old Chukwu Christopher, also known as Brown, and 60-year-old Chukwu Monday, alias George.
According to the NDLEA, the suspects allegedly operated the laboratory in collaboration with Rodriguez Villanueva, whom the agency identified as a Mexican national based in Mexico City and allegedly linked to a drug cartel.
According to the agency, investigation began with surveillance of Christopher’s movements across Lagos, Enugu and Anambra states between December 1 and 4, 2025.
The intelligence operation eventually led officers to a compound in Obeagu, where they discovered a clandestine laboratory equipped with improvised reactors and distillation equipment believed to be capable of producing methamphetamine on a commercial scale.
The NDLEA said the facility bears similarities to other clandestine laboratories previously dismantled in Ogun, Oyo and Ebonyi states, suggesting a growing pattern of sophisticated illicit drug production operations.
A search of the premises led to the recovery of substantial quantities of precursor chemicals and other controlled substances. They included 690 litres of methylamine, 1,000 litres of isopropyl alcohol, 300 litres of hydrochloric acid, 290 litres each of toluene and acetone, and 400 litres of liquid sodium hydroxide.
Operatives also recovered 125 kilogrammes of N-phenylacetamide, 414 kilogrammes of lead acetate and 769.6 kilogrammes of tartaric acid, among other substances.
A related search at George’s family residence reportedly uncovered eight large fuel tanks, four commercial gas burners, four dehydrators and 11 kilogrammes of ephedrine.
The two suspects have since been arraigned before Justice Mabel Taiye Segun-Bello of the Federal High Court, Enugu Judicial Division, on a five-count charge involving alleged conspiracy, the organisation, management and financing of a drug trafficking organisation, as well as unlawful possession of precursor chemicals used in methamphetamine production.
Both suspects pleaded not guilty to the charges. The court subsequently fixed October 21, 2026, for trial following the NDLEA’s request for an accelerated hearing.
Three other individuals named in the charges remain at large, according to the agency.
NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brigadier General Buba Marwa, commended the officers involved in the operation and reaffirmed the agency’s determination to track down all suspects allegedly connected to the network.
Marwa said the operation underscored the agency’s efforts to prevent Nigeria from becoming a hub for transnational drug production and trafficking, while stressing that intelligence-led operations and international cooperation would remain central to disrupting sophisticated drug networks.
The agency says investigations are continuing as efforts intensify to apprehend the remaining suspects and dismantle other illicit drug production networks operating across the country.
