NDLEA raids meth lab in Imo State, seizes 18.4kg of meth, and arrests fugitive drug kingpin Reginald Chidiebere after 13 years on the run

Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency have dismantled a clandestine methamphetamine laboratory in Isiozi Obiato, Umuaka, Njaba Local Government Area, recovering 18.4 kilograms of methamphetamine alongside large quantities of precursor chemicals and production equipment.

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

The laboratory was dismantled during a targeted operation on 25 February 2026.

In a related operation, the NDLEA announced the arrest of long-fugitive drug kingpin Reginald Peter Chidiebere, who had evaded authorities for 13 years following allegations of cocaine and heroin trafficking.

Chidiebere was first arrested in 2013 for importing cocaine into Nigeria and subsequently arraigned before the Federal High Court in Lagos. Granted bail by Justice Ayokunle Faji, he failed to appear in court and disappeared.

His name resurfaced in February 2024 as one of the alleged masterminds behind the importation of 49.7 kilograms of heroin from South Africa, intercepted by NDLEA operatives at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport.

A follow-up operation on 19 February 2024 at his Lagos hotel led to the recovery of an additional 2.2 kilograms of heroin from one of his associates.

Following the operations, the NDLEA secured an interim forfeiture order on Chidiebere’s properties and froze bank accounts linked to him. Unable to continue evading arrest, he surrendered to the agency on 13 February 2026.