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Nigeria Arrests Alleged Mexican Drug Kingpin at International Airport
Confirmed
In Short: Arturo Carrera Loaiza, an alleged Mexican drug kingpin, was detained at Lagos International Airport, leading to the discovery of a suspected methamphetamine laboratory in Nigeria.
Nigeria's drug enforcement authority has arrested Arturo Carrera Loaiza, an alleged Mexican drug kingpin, at Lagos International Airport, according to reports from the BBC. When Loaiza was detained, officials found digital images of him wearing what they believed to be a laboratory coat, alongside equipment consistent with meth production.
The pictures' location data led investigators to a property in Ebonyi state, where they found chemicals and drug-making equipment, according to the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA). Loaiza has denied involvement in methamphetamine production and claimed he was invited to Nigeria for a restaurant business venture.
The NDLEA's investigation into the network is ongoing, including into those it believes financed or helped facilitate the operations in Nigeria. This arrest is part of a broader effort by international criminal groups to establish drug-production facilities in Nigeria's forests and rural communities, according to Marwa, the NDLEA's spokesman.
The arrest of Loaiza resulted in the discovery of a suspected industrial-scale methamphetamine laboratory, the third such find allegedly linked to Mexicans in four months. In June, NDLEA officers arrested three Mexican nationals and seven Nigerians at another suspected methamphetamine laboratory hidden in a forest in Oyo state.
The investigation began with the arrest of three Mexican nationals and seven Nigerians at a forest hideout in Ogun State on May 16, as reported by the Premium Times Nigeria. Investigators later established that Loaiza had recruited and brought a fellow Mexican to work at the laboratory, which was raided in June.
The NDLEA's efforts to combat drug trafficking have been ongoing, with the arrest of Rishabh, the son of drug kingpin Virender Baisoya, in India, highlighting the international nature of the drug trade. The Indian Express reported that Rishabh was allegedly operating from overseas at the behest of his father.
What's confirmed
- Nigeria's drug enforcement authority has arrested Arturo Carrera Loaiza, an alleged Mexican drug kingpin, at Lagos International Airport, according to reports from the BBC. When Loaiza was detained, officials found digital images of him wearing what they believed to be a laboratory coat, alongside equipment consistent with meth production.
- The pictures' location data led investigators to a property in Ebonyi state, where they found chemicals and drug-making equipment, according to the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA). Loaiza has denied involvement in methamphetamine production and claimed he was invited to Nigeria for a restaurant business venture.
- The NDLEA's investigation into the network is ongoing, including into those it believes financed or helped facilitate the operations in Nigeria. This arrest is part of a broader effort by international criminal groups to establish drug-production facilities in Nigeria's forests and rural communities, according to Marwa, the NDLEA's spokesman.
- The arrest of Loaiza resulted in the discovery of a suspected industrial-scale methamphetamine laboratory, the third such find allegedly linked to Mexicans in four months. In June, NDLEA officers arrested three Mexican nationals and seven Nigerians at another suspected methamphetamine laboratory hidden in a forest in Oyo state.
- The investigation began with the arrest of three Mexican nationals and seven Nigerians at a forest hideout in Ogun State on May 16, as reported by the Premium Times Nigeria. Investigators later established that Loaiza had recruited and brought a fellow Mexican to work at the laboratory, which was raided in June.
- The NDLEA's efforts to combat drug trafficking have been ongoing, with the arrest of Rishabh, the son of drug kingpin Virender Baisoya, in India, highlighting the international nature of the drug trade. The Indian Express reported that Rishabh was allegedly operating from overseas at the behest of his father.
What's still developing
- A Nigerian man was also identified directing people as they removed chemicals and equipment from the site.
- "Nigeria will not be allowed to become a haven for transnational drug cartels seeking to relocate their laboratories from other jurisdictions into our forests and rural communities", he said.
- No estimate has yet been given for how much methamphetamine the alleged laboratory was capable of producing.
- He said further that working with international partners, investigators obtained a photograph of Mr Loaiza.
- The son of drug kingpin Virender Baisoya, Rishabh (23), who was wanted by the Delhi Police Special Cell in connection with a drug smuggling case, was arrested soon after he landed at the Indira Gandhi International Airport from Dubai on Tuesday, officials said.