Nigeria NDLEA targets meth labs, arrests cartel, seizes 2 bn tramadol pills

NDLEA methamphetamine labs tramadol seizure Buba Marwa Nigerian-Mexican cartel

Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa, chairman of Nigeria's National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), called on traditional rulers, parents and community leaders to help prevent drug cartels from exploiting rural areas after industrial‑scale methamphetamine laboratories were discovered in the forests of Ogun and Oyo states. He urged the vetting of farmland buyers and the creation of community advocacy networks to make villages hostile to traffickers.

The NDLEA also disclosed that it had seized more than two billion tramadol pills in the past 18 months through coordinated operations with partners in India and Pakistan, and stressed the need for continued collaboration with customs, NAFDAC and other agencies.

In a related case, the agency arraigned alleged cartel kingpin Anochili Innocent, three Mexican nationals and six others before Lagos's Federal High Court on eleven charges tied to a meth lab in Abidagba village, Ijebu East, Ogun State. Prosecutors say the lab produced over 2,400 kg of meth worth more than N480 billion (about $360 m). The suspects were captured in intelligence‑led raids between 16‑18 May 2026.