The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency has dismantled an alleged clandestine methamphetamine laboratory in Eziama community, Obeagu, Awgu Local Government Area of Enugu State, which it said was linked to a Nigerian-Mexican drug network.
Drivetvnews gathered that the agency disclosed this in a statement issued on Thursday by its spokesperson, Femi Babafemi.
According to the NDLEA, two suspects, 45-year-old Chukwu Christopher, also known as Brown, and 60-year-old Chukwu Monday, also known as George, were arrested after months of intelligence gathering and surveillance.
The agency alleged that the suspects operated the facility in collaboration with Rodriguez Villanueva, whom it identified as a Mexican member of a drug cartel based in Mexico City.
The two suspects were subsequently arraigned before Justice Mabel Taiye Segun-Bello of the Federal High Court in Enugu on five counts bordering on conspiracy, management and financing of a drug trafficking organisation, as well as unlawful possession of precursor chemicals allegedly used in methamphetamine production.
They pleaded not guilty to the charges. Following an application by the NDLEA for an accelerated trial, the court fixed October 21, 2026, for the commencement of proceedings.
The agency said three other suspects named in the charges remained at large.
The NDLEA said investigations by its Special Operations Unit uncovered what it described as a sophisticated transnational operation involving Nigerian and Mexican suspects.
According to the agency, surveillance conducted between December 1 and 4, 2025, tracked Brown’s movements across Lagos, Enugu and Anambra states before leading investigators to the compound in Obeagu.
Operatives allegedly discovered a clandestine laboratory equipped with improvised reactors and distillation equipment and capable, according to the agency, of producing methamphetamine on a commercial scale.
The NDLEA said the facility was similar to other laboratories it had previously dismantled in Ogun, Oyo and Ebonyi states.
During a search of the premises, operatives reportedly recovered large quantities of chemicals allegedly intended for illicit drug production.
The agency also said a search of George’s family residence led to the recovery of eight large fuel tanks, four commercial gas burners, four dehydrators and 11 kilogrammes of ephedrine.
NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (retd.), said the agency would continue efforts to locate the suspects still at large and ensure that anyone found culpable faces the law.
Marwa commended the officers involved in the operation and said the discovery underscored the agency’s efforts to prevent Nigeria from becoming a base for international drug trafficking networks.
He added that intelligence-led operations and collaboration with international partners would continue to target networks involved in illicit drug production and trafficking.
