Nigeria Arrests Alleged Mexican Meth Kingpin, Dismantles Lab

Nigeria's National Drug Law Enforcement Agency has arrested a Mexican national it describes as a suspected drug kingpin, alleging he led a transnational methamphetamine production network operating across the West African country. The agency announced the arrest and the dismantling of an industrial-scale laboratory during a press briefing in Lagos on September 15, 2026. The suspect, identified as Arturo Carrera Loaiza, was detained at Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos on August 19, 2026, as he allegedly attempted to leave Nigeria. The arrest followed a months-long investigation that began with earlier raids in the southwestern states of Ogun and Oyo. According to the NDLEA, the investigation commenced on May 16, 2026, with the arrest of three Mexican nationals and seven Nigerians at a forest hideout in Ogun State. A subsequent raid on June 17 targeted a suspected methamphetamine laboratory in a forested area of Tapa village in Oyo State, where officers arrested 56-year-old Mexican national Jose Villa Ochoa, described as a methamphetamine expert, along with four Nigerian collaborators.