The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency has dismantled an illegal methamphetamine production facility in Imo State and taken into custody a long-wanted drug trafficking suspect who had evaded authorities for over a decade.
The clandestine laboratory was discovered in Isiozi Obiato, Umuaka, within Njaba Local Government Area, where operatives recovered 18.4 kilograms of methamphetamine. Investigators also seized substantial quantities of precursor chemicals and specialised equipment used in manufacturing the banned substance.
According to a statement issued by the agency’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, the operation was carried out on February 25, 2026, leading to the complete shutdown of the facility.
In a separate development, the agency confirmed the arrest of Reginald Peter Chidiebere, a suspected drug baron who had been on the run since 2013.
Babafemi disclosed that Chidiebere was initially apprehended in 2013 over allegations of importing cocaine into Nigeria. He was later arraigned before the Federal High Court of Nigeria in Lagos and granted bail by Justice Ayokunle Faji but subsequently absconded.
His name resurfaced in February 2024 in connection with the attempted importation of 49.70 kilograms of heroin from South Africa. The consignment was intercepted at the import shed of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport by NDLEA operatives.
A follow-up raid conducted on February 19, 2024, at a Lagos hotel linked to him led to the recovery of an additional 2.20 kilograms of heroin from an associate. Authorities thereafter secured an interim forfeiture order on properties connected to him and froze multiple bank accounts.
The agency stated that mounting pressure eventually forced Chidiebere out of hiding, leading to his surrender on February 13, 2026. He is currently in custody to face both the earlier charges for which he jumped bail and fresh allegations tied to the 2024 heroin shipments.
