Buba Marwa, chairman of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), says US-provided forensic equipment helped the agency detect a chemical linked to fentanyl production in a methamphetamine laboratory uncovered in a forest in Ogun state.

 

Marwa spoke on Thursday when Derek Tolliver, country director of the US International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Bureau (INL) in Nigeria, led a delegation to the NDLEA headquarters in Abuja.

 

The anti-drug agency had in May busted and dismantled a clandestine methamphetamine laboratory with materials and chemicals worth over N480 billion in a forest in Ogun state.

 

Seven suspects, including four Nigerians and three Mexicans, were arrested during the raid.

 

 

Femi Babafemi, NDLEA spokesperson, in a statement quoted Marwa as saying the forensic equipment provided by the INL enabled the agency to identify the precursor chemical during analysis of substances recovered from the industrial-scale laboratory.

 

He said the discovery could have gone unnoticed without the modern forensic tools because the chemical constituted only a small portion of the precursor substances recovered.

 

Fentanyl is a potent synthetic opioid used as an analgesic and anaesthetic.

 

 

It is approximately 100 times more potent than morphine and 50 times more potent than heroin as an analgesic.

 

However, an overdose can cause serious complications, including coma, respiratory failure, and death.

 

In 2022, the NDLEA alerted the public to plans by “some drug cartels” to introduce the lethal synthetic opioid fentanyl to the Nigerian market.

 

“We discovered one of the precursor chemicals was in fact for the production of fentanyl, which is bad news. Nobody wants to hear that word,” Marwa said.

 

 

“It is bad enough to be dealing with meth laboratories, and we very much appreciate that contributions. Without those modern tools, that would have gone unnoticed because it was just a small part of the precursor chemicals.”

 

The NDLEA chairman said INL support had also strengthened the agency’s forensic capacity through the modernisation of its laboratory in Lagos and the establishment of additional laboratories in Abuja and Enugu.

 

“These forensic labs have been central to our law enforcement efforts,” he said.

 

Marwa also credited INL with providing operational vehicles to the agency, adding that NDLEA had received support from other US agencies, including the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), US Africa Command (AFRICOM) and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).

 

He called for further support in logistics and training.

 

On his part, Tolliver commended the NDLEA for its recent operational successes and assured the agency of continued support from INL.

 

“I want to say big congratulations on all the successes over the past months with your leadership and under your leadership,” Tolliver was quoted as saying.

 

“It is phenomenal how much this organisation has grown, the accolades that are now shown in the media. So, I do want to recognise that.”