Nigeria arrests alleged Mexican drug kingpin at international airport

What the report says

Nigeria’s National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) says it arrested Arturo Carrera Loaiza, described by officials as an alleged Mexican drug kingpin, at Lagos international airport last month as he tried to leave the country. The BBC report says the agency later linked the arrest to a suspected industrial-scale methamphetamine laboratory, which it described as the third such site it has identified in four months with alleged ties to Mexicans.

According to the NDLEA, officers found digital images on Loaiza’s device that appeared to show him in a lab coat near equipment associated with meth production. The image data reportedly helped investigators trace a property in Ebonyi state, where they said they recovered chemicals and drug-making equipment. The agency also said CCTV footage from the site showed a person resembling Loaiza, and that a Nigerian man was seen directing the removal of materials. Loaiza has denied involvement, saying he had been invited to Nigeria for a restaurant business deal.

The agency said further intelligence led to another secluded property where it found more chemicals and laboratory tools. Investigators also allege Loaiza recruited another Mexican for a separate meth lab in Oyo state, while earlier raids in June and the previous month led to arrests of Mexican and Nigerian suspects. The NDLEA says its inquiry is continuing. More broadly, the case highlights concerns in West Africa about organized crime groups using forested and rural areas to set up synthetic drug production outside traditional trafficking routes.