Nigeria TV Info 

NDLEA Uncovers Meth Laboratory in Imo, Arrests Long‑Wanted Drug Baron

Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have dealt a significant blow to organised narcotics syndicates, dismantling a clandestine methamphetamine production laboratory in Imo State and taking into custody a wanted drug kingpin after more than a decade on the run.

According to an NDLEA statement, agents raided a hidden meth lab in Isiozi Obiato, Umuaka, Njaba Local Government Area on 25 February 2026, where they seized 18.4 kilograms of methamphetamine, a cache of precursor chemicals, and equipment used to manufacture the illicit drug.

In a related operation, the agency apprehended Reginald Peter Chidiebere, a notorious drug baron who had evaded arrest for 13 years following his initial 2013 detention on cocaine trafficking charges. Chidiebere had jumped bail after being arraigned in Lagos but was finally taken into custody by NDLEA operatives.

Officials said the arrest capped sustained enforcement efforts that also linked Chidiebere to large consignments of heroin and cocaine intercepted at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos. With his network disrupted and assets frozen, Chidiebere ultimately surrendered to authorities in February 2026 and now faces renewed prosecution on both historical and fresh drug trafficking charges.

The twin breakthroughs underscore NDLEA’s intensified campaign against sophisticated drug production and trafficking networks across Nigeria, aimed at curbing the rising menace of synthetic and hard drugs in communities nationwide.