NDLEA Destroys Nigeria’s Largest Meth Lab as 10 Suspects Face Trial

(Staff from the forensic and chemical Unit. Photo by Punch News)

The biggest methamphetamine laboratory ever discovered in Nigeria, according to authorities, has been demolished.

Ten individuals, including three Mexicans, are on trial for an alleged international narcotics operation in Ogun State; the lab was shut down per a court order.

Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency dismantled the temporary lab on Wednesday after a Lagos court ordered its removal due to environmental concerns.

The facility was hidden behind a forest that spans the Ogun State settlements of Abidagba and Iroto.

A dr ug laboratory allegedly used for methamphetamine production in Nigeria has been dismantled following a court order over environmental and public health concerns.

An online news platform's correspondent, who visited the site alongside officials of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, observed local artisans dismantling large cooking cauldrons, filtration equipment and chemical processing facilities allegedly used in producing methamphetamine.

The laboratory was raided in May when NDLEA operatives arrested 10 suspects, including seven Nigerians and three Mexican nationals.

The operation also extended to two residential properties in an upscale Lagos neighbourhood, where authorities said they recovered methamphetamine and precursor chemicals valued at about $360 million.

The suspects are currently standing trial before the Federal High Court in Lagos.

The NDLEA's Deputy Commander of Narcotics, James Taalba, said the agency was prepared to confront any attempt by foreign dr ug cartels to establish operations in Nigeria, stressing that it had personnel capable of curtailing such situations.

The dismantling followed a directive by the trial court after forensic experts warned that chemicals left at the site posed environmental and public health risks.

NDLEA Director of Forensics, Patricia Afolabi, said the court ordered the laboratory dismantled over concerns about groundwater and air pollution caused by chemicals used in methamphetamine production.

According to the report, barrels containing chemicals and partially processed methamphetamine had remained inside the facility as exhibits and were still emitting choking vapours when journalists visited the site.

Nigeria and other West African countries have increasingly become transit points for cocaine shipments from South America to Europe.

However, security experts have also raised concerns over the growing local manufacture of methamphetamine, with previous reports indicating that Latin American dr ug specialists have transferred production expertise to criminal networks in Nigeria.

The Institute for Security Studies reported in 2019 that methamphetamine seizures and laboratory raids in Nigeria had been increasing since about 2011.

In June, another Mexican national was arrested during a separate methamphetamine operation in Oyo State.

A resident of nearby Abidagba village, Florence Banjo, said locals were unaware of the true nature of the activities at the forest site.

The 59-year-old recalled hearing rumours that a housing estate would be built there, expressing that she had been happy at the prospect of the road leading into her village finally being paved, only to be left disappointed once the truth emerged.

(Aerial view of the meth lab in Ogun forest. Photo by Punch News)