Arturo Carrera Loaiza, a 40-year-old Mexican national, was arrested at Lagos International Airport in Nigeria last month while attempting to leave the country, according to the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA). The agency stated that his arrest led to the discovery of a suspected industrial-scale methamphetamine laboratory, marking the third such find linked to Mexican nationals in four months.
During his detention, officials reportedly found digital images of Loaiza wearing a laboratory coat alongside equipment consistent with meth production. The location data from these images directed officers to a property in Ebonyi state, where they discovered chemicals and drug-making equipment. Loaiza has denied any involvement in methamphetamine production, claiming he was in Nigeria for a restaurant business venture.
Investigators also found a CCTV memory card at the suspected laboratory showing footage of an individual resembling Loaiza in a blue laboratory coat. A Nigerian man was identified in the footage directing others as they removed chemicals and equipment from the site.
NDLEA chairman Gen Mohamed Buba Marwa stated that further intelligence led to the recovery of additional chemicals and equipment from an isolated house in a nearby community. The agency has not provided an estimate of the potential methamphetamine production capacity of the alleged laboratory.
Loaiza is accused of recruiting another Mexican national to work at a separate methamphetamine laboratory in Oyo state, which was raided in June, resulting in the arrest of four Nigerians. In a previous raid, three Mexican nationals and seven Nigerians were arrested at another industrial-scale methamphetamine laboratory hidden in a forest.
Marwa emphasized that these operations indicate that international criminal groups are attempting to establish drug production facilities in Nigeria's rural areas. He stated, "Nigeria will not be allowed to become a haven for transnational drug cartels seeking to relocate their laboratories from other jurisdictions into our forests and rural communities." The NDLEA's investigation into the network is ongoing, including inquiries into individuals believed to have financed or facilitated these operations in Nigeria.
Synthetic drugs like methamphetamine can be produced anywhere with the right chemicals and expertise, making them more adaptable for organized crime groups compared to plant-based drugs, which require specific growing conditions. West Africa, particularly Nigeria, offers advantages such as extensive forested areas suitable for discreet production sites.