Nigeria’s anti-narcotics authorities have dealt a significant blow to international drug trafficking networks after dismantling a sophisticated methamphetamine cartel with alleged ties to Mexico. In what officials described as the largest methamphetamine seizure in the country’s history, law enforcement agents arrested ten suspects, including three Mexican nationals believed to have played a key role in the industrial-scale production of the illicit drug.

The operation, carried out by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), underscores growing concerns that Nigeria is evolving from a transit point for narcotics into a major center for drug manufacturing and international distribution. Authorities say the cartel had established an extensive clandestine production facility capable of producing large quantities of methamphetamine for domestic and foreign markets.

According to NDLEA officials, the operation was the culmination of months of surveillance, intelligence collection, and coordinated planning. On May 20, the agency’s Special Operations Unit launched simultaneous raids across Ogun and Lagos states, targeting locations believed to be connected to the trafficking organization.

The centerpiece of the operation was a sprawling clandestine laboratory hidden deep within the Abidagba forest in Ogun State’s Ijebu East Local Government Area. Investigators described the site as a highly sophisticated methamphetamine production facility designed to operate far from public scrutiny.

Officials reported seizing approximately 2,419.48 kilograms of chemical materials, including finished methamphetamine, liquid methamphetamine, precursor substances used in drug production, and large quantities of industrial solvents. The scale of the operation suggested an organized manufacturing network rather than a small-scale criminal enterprise.

NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Mohamed Buba Marwa stated that the seizure represented one of the most significant anti-drug successes in the agency’s history. He estimated the international market value of the confiscated materials at roughly $362.9 million.

“This organization was not merely transporting illegal drugs,” Marwa said. “It was actively engaged in manufacturing........

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