The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has uncovered a clandestine methamphetamine laboratory in Isiozi Obiato, Umuaka, in the Njaba Local Government Area of Imo State.
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency discovered a methamphetamine lab in Isiozi Obiato, Umuaka, in Imo State’s Njaba Local Government Area.
The agency recovered 18.4 kilograms of methamphetamine, precursor chemicals, and production equipment.
“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 event, the agency announced the arrest of Reginald Peter Chidiebere, a wanted drug kingpin who had been hiding for 13 years for allegedly trafficking cocaine and heroin.
According to Babafemi, Chidiebere was first arrested in 2013 for trafficking cocaine into Nigeria and later arraigned before the Federal High Court of Nigeria in Lagos. He was granted bail by Justice Ayokunle Faji, but he failed to appear in court and vanished.
The statement said that his name emerged in February 2024 as one of the suspected masterminds behind the importation of 49.70 kg of heroin from South Africa, which was apprehended by NDLEA agents at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport’s import shed.
It further stated that a follow-up operation on February 19, 2024, at his Lagos hotel resulted in the recovery of an additional 2.20 kg of heroin from one of his friends.
The agency later obtained an interim forfeiture order for 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.
