Nigeria Uncovers Largest-Ever Meth Lab, Arrests Nine Including Three Mexicans

Nigeria’s National Drug Law Enforcement Agency says it has uncovered the country’s largest-ever methamphetamine laboratory in a forest in Ogun State, Nigeria, and arrested nine suspects including three Mexicans. The agency says the industrial-scale operation involved large quantities of chemicals worth about $362 million, and also led to raids in Lagos.

Nigeria’s anti-drug agency, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, has announced the discovery of what it describes as the largest industrial-scale methamphetamine laboratory ever uncovered in the country, located deep within a remote forest in Ogun State, southwestern Nigeria.
According to the agency, the operation led to the arrest of nine suspects, including three Mexican nationals believed to be linked to an international drug trafficking network. Officials said the laboratory was hidden on a secluded farm in a forested area, where officers discovered extensive equipment used for large-scale production of methamphetamine, alongside significant quantities of chemical precursors.
The NDLEA stated that the facility was operating as a fully functional clandestine drug manufacturing site, describing it as an “industrial-scale” operation and the most sophisticated meth lab ever identified in Nigeria. Authorities said the scale of production suggested involvement of organized transnational criminal groups with access to technical expertise and supply chains beyond the country.
In addition to the forest-based operation, the agency confirmed that simultaneous raids were carried out at two residential properties in an upscale neighbourhood in Lagos. During these searches, officers reportedly recovered additional chemicals and materials suspected to be linked to drug production activities.
The NDLEA estimated the total value of chemicals and substances recovered at approximately $362 million, including crystal meth and other precursor chemicals used in its manufacture. The agency said the discovery highlights the increasing sophistication of drug cartels operating in the region and the growing challenge posed by illicit synthetic drug production.
Chairman of the NDLEA, Buba Marwa, said the bust reflects a worrying trend in which international drug syndicates are expanding operations into rural parts of Nigeria. He noted that there is an increasing reliance on foreign expertise, particularly from South America, to establish and run clandestine drug laboratories in West Africa.
Marwa added that the agency is aware of what he described as “shifting tactics” by drug cartels, including the recruitment of foreign specialists to set up production hubs in remote communities where detection is more difficult. He emphasized that the NDLEA will continue to intensify operations against drug trafficking networks and dismantle their supply chains across the country.
Authorities say investigations are ongoing to identify other members of the network and trace the wider distribution channels connected to the laboratory.