NDLEA arrests two men linked to a Mexican group for running a secret hard drug factory in Enugu State.
Officers of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency(NDLEA) have caught two main leaders of an international drug group that was making hard drugs secretly inside a house in Enugu State.
The anti-drug agency found the secret factory inside Eziama community, Obeagu, located in Awgu Local Government Area.
The agency revealed that the two men were working together with a dangerous drug boss from Mexico named Rodriguez Villanueva, who lives in Mexico City and helps them run the illegal business across international borders.
The two men who were caught by the anti drug officers are 45 year old Chukwu Obumneme Christopher, who is also called Brown, and 60 yearo ld Chukwu Georginus Monday, who goes by the name George.
Special officers spent many months following their movements silently without the men knowing. The officers watched Brown closely as he traveled between Lagos State, Enugu State, and Anambra State.
That close monitoring led the officers directly to the hidden compound in Enugu where the factory was set up.
Inside the compound, officers found special local machines built to mix and boil chemicals to produce a very dangerous hard drug called methamphetamine, which people commonly call meth or mkpuru mmiri.
Official reports confirmed that the agency carried out a deep investigation to stop the group from spreading hard drugs across cities and towns.
When the anti-drug team searched the secret factory, they carried away huge plastic drums filled with liquid chemicals and heavy bags of solid powders used for making the drug.
They seized 690 liters of methylamine, one thousand liters of isopropyl alcohol, 300 liters of hydrochloric acid, 290 liters of toluene, 290 liters of acetone, and 400 liters of liquid sodium hydroxide.
They also found hundreds of kilograms of other dangerous raw materials like lead acetate and tartaric acid. When the officers went to search George’s family house, they found 8 big fuel tanks, four big commercial gas cookers, four drying machines, and eleven kilograms of ephedrine.
The spokesperson for the agency, Mr. Femi Babafemi, explained that the group built the facility to make drugs in very large amounts for sale.
The 2 suspects were taken straight to the Federal High Court in Enugu before Justice Mabel Taiye Segun-Bello. They faced 5 court charges, including joining hands together to do bad business, managing a drug group, financing illegal work, and keeping illegal chemicals.
Three other people named Uche, Celestine Ikemefuna Iwuchukwu, and the Mexican man Rodriguez Villanueva ran away and are still hiding from the law.
The judge listened to their charges and chose October 21, 2026, as the day their full trial will start in court. Official reports noted that the court agreed to handle the case quickly because of how serious the drug business is.
The Head of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, retired Brigadier General Mohamed Buba Marwa, praised his officers for working hard and standing strong to catch the big drug leaders.
Speaking about the successful arrest, General Marwa said, “This operation demonstrates Nigeria’s resolve to prevent transnational drug cartels from establishing a foothold in the country”.
Promising to catch everyone who ran away, General Marwa ordered his officers to find the missing members, saying, “All fleeing suspects linked to the cartel must be tracked down and brought to justice”.
He assured the country that the agency will not stop fighting drug sellers, stating, “Our agency will sustain intelligence driven operations and international cooperation against illicit drug production and trafficking”.
The anti drug agency warned that it will keep checking every state in Nigeria to make sure foreign and local drug criminals find no safe place to hide or make hard drugs.
Jennifer Baba is a journalist, international news correspondent, and writer at Moderncrux, where she covers artificial intelligence, fintech, emerging technologies, global politics, and international affairs. Based in Nigeria, she is passionate about transforming complex global developments into clear, engaging stories that inform and inspire readers.
