Investigators have alleged that Loaiza had recruited and brought a fellow Mexican to work at another suspected methamphetamine laboratory hidden in a forest in Oyo state, which was raided in June. Four Nigerians were also arrested after the raid.

A month earlier, NDLEA officers arrested three Mexican nationals and seven Nigerians at what the agency described as an industrial-scale methamphetamine laboratory hidden in a forest in another part of the country.

Marwa said the operations showed international criminal groups were attempting to establish drug-production facilities in Nigeria’s forests and rural communities.

“Nigeria will not be allowed to become a haven for transnational drug cartels seeking to relocate their laboratories from other jurisdictions into our forests and rural communities”, he said.

The NDLEA said its investigation into the network is ongoing, including into those it believes financed or helped facilitate the operations in Nigeria.

Unlike plant-based drugs, such as cocaine or heroin, which can only be grown and processed in certain places, a synthetic drug like meth can be produced anywhere with the right chemicals and expertise, making it easier for organised crime groups to quickly scale up production.

West Africa poses numerous attractive benefits to Mexican syndicates, starting with swathes of forested land which serves well for secluded production sites.