Nigeria’s anti-drug agency says it has shut down the country’s largest-ever methamphetamine laboratory after a raid on a hidden forest site in Ogun State.

The Nigeria meth lab bust comes days after South African police uncovered a R100 million drug manufacturing laboratory on a farm in Swartruggens, North West, where 11 suspects were arrested. Authorities in both countries reported the involvement of Mexican nationals.

Nigeria meth lab found in Ogun forest

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency said its Special Operations Unit dismantled an industrial-scale methamphetamine laboratory in a remote forest in Ogun State, according to AP and Nigerian media reports. The agency described the operation as its biggest drug bust to date.

NDLEA chairman Brig Gen Mohamed Buba Marwa said the syndicate included Nigerian collaborators and Mexican nationals allegedly brought in for technical drug production. AP reported that seven people were arrested at the site, with three more arrested in follow-up operations.

Leadership reported that the operation took place across Ogun and Lagos states on 16 May 2026, with follow-up arrests on 18 May. It identified the alleged cartel leader as Anochili Innocent and said passports and mobile phones linked to the foreign suspects were recovered.

Authorities said they seized 2,419.48kg of chemical materials, including methamphetamine, with an estimated international street value of about $362.9 million, or more than ₦480 billion.

South Africa raid raises regional concern

The Nigeria meth lab case follows a major South African raid on 13 May 2026. SAnews, citing SAPS, reported that 11 suspects were arrested after police discovered a multimillion-rand drug manufacturing laboratory on a farm in Swartruggens.

SAPS said four Mexican nationals and one woman were among those arrested. Earlier reports placed the value of the laboratory at about R100 million.

Acting National Commissioner Lieutenant General Puleng Dimpane said the bust should warn organised crime groups that SAPS remains “resolute and relentless” in disrupting drug networks. Police said the investigation into the Swartruggens laboratory is continuing.

Wider drug trafficking context

The Nigeria meth lab raid highlights growing concern about drug production networks in West and Central Africa. AP cited the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime as saying the region has become a hotspot for drug trafficking and manufacturing due to porous borders and corruption.

In South Africa, SAPS said intensified anti-drug operations led to 280 arrests for dealing in drugs and 2,573 arrests for possession in one week. The timing of the North West and Ogun busts may draw closer attention to cross-border syndicates, although authorities have not confirmed a direct operational link between the two cases.