Mexican citizen detained in Nigeria; suspected methamphetamine lab discovered
Nigeria’s National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) reported the detention of Mexican citizen Arturo Carrera Loaiza and the discovery of a suspected methamphetamine production laboratory in Ebonyi State. The man was detained on August 19 at Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos as he attempted to leave Nigeria, Premium Times Nigeria reports.
Investigation into methamphetamine production
According to the NDLEA, the investigation began after the detention on May 16 of three Mexican citizens and seven Nigerians at a forest hideout in Ogun State. On June 17, agency operatives detained 56-year-old Jose Villa Ochoa and four Nigerians at a suspected methamphetamine laboratory in Tapa village, Ibarapa North area of Oyo State.
Field tests at the site, the agency said, confirmed the presence of methamphetamine and chemical precursors. Investigators said Ochoa identified Loaiza as the person who recruited him and helped arrange his entry into Nigeria. After his detention, Loaiza told investigators that a Nigerian identified as Henry had invited him to the country for a restaurant business. He denied knowing about methamphetamine production or being involved with the laboratory in Oyo State.
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Substances and equipment
The NDLEA said photographs of Loaiza in a blue laboratory coat among equipment provided a new lead for the investigation. Geolocation data in the images led operatives to an unfinished building in Isiata Ugoni Okposi, Ebonyi State, which was searched on August 30. The agency said it linked the site to John Samuel Ivo Okike.
According to the NDLEA, a memory card from a video surveillance system was found at the site. An examination of the recordings, the agency said, captured a foreigner in a blue coat, whom investigators identified as Loaiza, as well as Okike. The video allegedly shows chemicals and laboratory equipment being removed from the site at around 9:00 p.m. on August 21, with Okike directing the operation.
The NDLEA said the materials were subsequently traced to an isolated house in a neighboring community, where they were stored by Nwanja Obasi. During the search, according to the agency, officers seized, among other items, 442.8 kg of acetone, 37.1 kg of toluene, 200 kg of P2B, hydrochloric acid, dehydrators, a condenser, pumps, scales, mixers, and gas burners. The agency also reported finding a fabric sieve with methamphetamine residue in one of the dehydrators. The NDLEA continues its investigation into people it considers involved in the suspected network.
