Nigeria’s anti-drug agency says it has dismantled a methamphetamine production syndicate in what officials describe as the country’s largest drugs seizure of its kind.
Drugs and precursor chemicals valued at around $363 million were recovered, while 10 suspects were arrested, including three Mexican nationals.
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) said officers seized around 2.4 tonnes of methamphetamine and precursor chemicals during the 48-hour operation, which followed months of intelligence gathering. The total haul, valued at approximately $363 million, is being described by officials as the largest of its kind in the country.
The NDLEA said seven suspects were arrested at the forest-based facility, including three Mexican nationals described by the agency as meth “cooks”. In total, 10 suspects have now been detained following follow-up operations.
According to the agency, the group was operating a sophisticated production setup capable of manufacturing large volumes of synthetic drugs, with materials and equipment suggesting an organised supply chain.
The agency said the alleged leader of the network, identified as Anochili Innocent, a Nigerian national, was arrested at his residence in Lagos following the initial raid.
NDLEA chief Mohamed Buba Marwa said the operation, which lasted 48 hours, was the result of sustained intelligence work and coordination across multiple units.
Marwa said the investigation pointed to a broader trend of drug trafficking organisations bringing in foreign “technical expertise” to establish production bases within Nigeria.
Officials say this reflects a shift in tactics by international cartels, which are increasingly moving beyond trafficking routes to establish local manufacturing hubs in West Africa.
Nigeria has become an increasingly important transit and production point in the global illegal drugs trade, driven in part by porous borders and expanding trafficking networks with links to Latin America.
The NDLEA said the scale of the seizure highlights the growing sophistication of synthetic drug operations in the region.
Marwa said the agency would intensify its crackdown on both local and transnational drug networks, as authorities attempt to curb what they describe as an evolving and expanding illicit drugs economy.
The 81st UN General Assembly returns for its third day in New York on Thursday, with world leaders delivering high-level speeches and holding diplo...
As the Ukraine war is highlighted by some leaders during the United Nations' 81st General Assembly meetin...
Shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz remained low on Thursday, as Iran reiterated that it will neither enter into new negotiations with th...
As the Ukraine war is highlighted by some leaders during the United Nations' 81st General Assembly meeting in New York, Russian forces attacked the Ukrainian capital Kyiv early on Thursday with ballistic missiles, killing two people and injuring six, Mayor Vitali Klitschko said.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is set to meet Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in New York on Wednesday, as Washington pushes for an end to the war in Ukraine and Kyiv and Moscow continue to strike energy infrastructure.
U.S. President Donald Trump is addressing the UN General Assembly as world leaders gather in New York for the 81st session. Conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine, global security and diplomacy set to dominate the event.
Shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz remained low on Thursday, as Iran reiterated that it will neither enter into new negotiations with the United States nor re-open the Strait as long as its conditions are not met, despite recent indirect talks in New York mediated by Qatar.
U.S. President Donald Trump said his team held a three-hour meeting with an Iranian delegation in New York that he described as “very good” and “productive”, with another round of talks scheduled soon.
As the Ukraine war is highlighted by some leaders during the United Nations' 81st General Assembly meeting in New York, Russian forces attacked the Ukrainian capital Kyiv early on Thursday with ballistic missiles, killing two people and injuring six, Mayor Vitali Klitschko said.
The 81st UN General Assembly returns for its third day in New York on Thursday, with world leaders delivering high-level speeches and holding diplomatic meetings. Restoring trust, managing global transformation, peace and security, and international cooperation remain at the centre of discussions.
Australia says an OpenAI AI agent gained unauthorised access to a government Medicare statistics portal in June, in what officials say could be an unprecedented case of an AI system breaching a government network.
Pakistan says it carried out air strikes on 10 locations in Afghanistan on Thursday, targeting sites it said were used to store and launch drones, as tensions between the two neighbouring countries continued to escalate.
Here’s your AnewZ Daily Brief for 24 September 2026, with five key developments from the second day of the 81st United Nations General Assembly in New York.
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