NDLEA uncovers meth laboratory in Imo, arrests wanted drug baron

Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency have uncovered a clandestine methamphetamine laboratory in Isiozi Obiato, Umuaka, in the Njaba Local Government Area of Imo State.

The agency said 18.4 kilograms of methamphetamine, large quantities of precursor chemicals and equipment used for the production of the illicit substance were recovered during the operation.

The development was disclosed in a statement on Sunday by the agency’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi.

According to the statement, the laboratory was dismantled on February 25, 2026.

The NDLEA operatives in Imo State on Wednesday, February 25, 2026, dismantled a clandestine laboratory located at Isiozi Obiato, Umuaka, in Njaba Local Government Area, where 18.4 kilograms of methamphetamine were recovered alongside large quantities of precursor chemicals and equipment used in the production of the illicit substance,” the statement read.

In a related development, the agency announced the arrest of a wanted drug kingpin, Reginald Peter Chidiebere, who had been in hiding for 13 years over his alleged involvement in cocaine and heroin trafficking

Babafemi said Chidiebere was first arrested in 2013 for importing cocaine into Nigeria and was subsequently arraigned before the Federal High Court of Nigeria in Lagos. He was granted bail by Justice Ayokunle Faji, but later failed to appear in court and disappeared

The statement noted that his name resurfaced in February 2024 as one of the alleged masterminds behind the importation of 49.70 kilograms of heroin from South Africa, intercepted by the NDLEA operatives at the import shed of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport.

It added that a follow-up operation conducted on February 19, 2024, at his hotel in Lagos led to the recovery of an additional 2.20 kilograms of heroin from one of his associates.

The agency subsequently secured an interim forfeiture order on the property and froze bank accounts linked to him.

“Following these developments, Chidiebere could no longer sustain himself in hiding, prompting his surrender to the agency on February 13, 2026.

“He is currently in custody to face his pending charges for which he jumped bail in 2013, as well as fresh charges linked to the 2024 heroin consignments,” the statement added.

Culled from punch