A Citicorp executive accused of manufacturing methamphetamine in his East Side penthouse was one of 10 people charged with operating nine illegal drug labs in New York City and Long Island, Drug Enforcement Agency officials announced yesterday.

Michael Knibb, 36, allegedly cooked up the highly addictive drug in the living room of his apartment on East 39th Street overlooking the United Nations, officials said. Officials identified him as a vice president of IT Test Systems at Citicorp, a subsidiary of Citigroup. A spokesman for the company confirmed Mr. Knibb’s employment.

Officials said his arrest and charges against nine others stemmed from a six-month investigation known as “Operation Red Fusion,” which targeted suspects who allegedly imported chemicals used to make methamphetamine from the same Web site. Officials declined to name the site, but said the suspects were producing the drug for individual use and not for sale.

According to officials, three of the labs were in Manhattan, two each were in Queens and Long Island, and there were one in Brooklyn and the Bronx. Methamphetamine, known as meth, crank, and crystal, can be made from household ingredients and is considered highly addictive and explosive. “These labs are ticking time bombs,” the special agent in charge of the DEA’s New York office, John Gilbride, said.

A lawyer for Mr. Knibb, Heidi Cesare, last night declined to comment on the case.

Officials said the defendants worked independently. The group includes a graduate student at Columbia University, Mehmetcan Dosemeci, 28, and an undergraduate student at SUNY Stonybrook, Arkady Koroshikh, 20.

Nine defendants pleaded not guilty yesterday to felony charges associated with the operation of the illegal labs, while one is a fugitive, officials said. If convicted, they face a maximum of 20 years in prison and $250,000 in fines.