…NDLEA said 18.4 kilograms of methamphetamine were recovered during the operation,
IMO, NIGERIA- The iNews Times | Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have uncovered and dismantled a clandestine methamphetamine laboratory at Isiozi Obiato, Umuaka, in Njaba Local Government Area of Imo State.
NDLEA said 18.4 kilograms of methamphetamine were recovered during the operation, alongside substantial quantities of precursor chemicals and production equipment.
The development was announced in a statement issued on Sunday by the agency’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, who noted that the laboratory was taken down on February 25, 2026.
According to the statement, NDLEA operatives in Imo State carried out the raid on Wednesday, February 25, 2026, dismantling the illegal facility and seizing the drugs and related materials used in manufacturing the substance.
In a separate development, the agency confirmed the arrest of a wanted drug kingpin, Reginald Peter Chidiebere, who had been on the run for 13 years over alleged involvement in cocaine and heroin trafficking.
Babafemi said Chidiebere was initially arrested in 2013 for importing cocaine into Nigeria and was arraigned before the Federal High Court of Nigeria in Lagos. He was granted bail by Justice Ayokunle Faji but failed to appear for subsequent court proceedings and went into hiding.
The statement further revealed 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 NDLEA operatives at the import shed of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport.
It added that a follow-up operation on February 19, 2024, at his hotel in Lagos led to the seizure of an additional 2.20 kilograms of heroin from one of his associates.
The agency subsequently obtained an interim forfeiture order on the property and froze bank accounts linked to him.
“Following these developments, Chidiebere could no longer remain in hiding and surrendered to the agency on February 13, 2026,” the statement said.
“He is currently in custody to face the pending charges for which he jumped bail in 2013, as well as fresh charges related to the 2024 heroin consignments.”
