The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has dismantled a fortified industrial-scale methamphetamine laboratory allegedly operated by a Nigerian-Mexican drug cartel in a forest located in Tapa Village, Ibarapa North Local Government Area of Oyo State.
The agency said the operation marks another major breakthrough in its sustained crackdown on transnational drug trafficking networks and comes barely four weeks after a similar clandestine methamphetamine laboratory was uncovered and destroyed in a forest in Ogun State.
Speaking at a press briefing in Abuja on Wednesday, NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig.-Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd), represented by the agency’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, described the latest discovery as evidence of an emerging attempt by drug cartels to establish the South-West as a hub for synthetic drug production.
According to Marwa, NDLEA tactical operatives stormed the hidden facility on June 17 following intelligence reports and arrested five suspected members of the cartel.
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Among those arrested was a 56-year-old Mexican national, Jose Villa Ochoa, described as a methamphetamine production expert allegedly brought into Nigeria to provide technical expertise for large-scale drug synthesis.
Others arrested were identified as Maxwell Uche Nevoh, 30; Olatunji Yusuf, 37; Bankole Akeem Owolabi, 45; and Ganiu Monsiu, 43.
Marwa said the arrest of a foreign methamphetamine specialist highlighted the transnational nature of the operation and demonstrated the agency’s intelligence-gathering capabilities.
“This was not a rudimentary setup. It was a sophisticated and highly organised transnational syndicate operating a factory-scale production facility deep within the forest,” he said.
He disclosed that following the raid, a specialised team from the agency’s Directorate of Forensic and Chemical Monitoring conducted a detailed examination of the laboratory and uncovered what he described as a massive production line for methamphetamine.
Items recovered from the site included large quantities of precursor chemicals and industrial processing equipment used in the manufacture of methamphetamine.
Among the chemicals recovered were drums containing Phenylacetic acid, Phenyl-2-propanone (P2P), sulphuric acid, tartaric acid, caustic soda, ethyl phenylacetate and thioglycolic acid, alongside dozens of cartons of aluminium foil.
The agency also recovered a reactor pot, mounted distillation units, fabricated mixers and condensers, as well as vegetable dehydrator machines allegedly used in processing and drying methamphetamine crystals.
Marwa said field tests conducted by forensic experts confirmed that samples recovered from the facility tested positive for methamphetamine, while other substances tested positive for key precursor chemicals used in its production.
He noted that all exhibits had been evacuated, documented and preserved for prosecution.
Describing the seizure as a multi-billion-naira haul, the NDLEA boss said the operation prevented millions of doses of illicit drugs from reaching Nigerian communities and international markets.
He warned drug traffickers and manufacturers against seeing Nigeria as a safe haven for their activities.
“Let the message go out clearly to all drug cartels, domestic and international, that Nigeria is not, and will never be, a safe haven for your illicit trade. We will find you in the cities, we will track you into the forests, and we will dismantle your infrastructure of death.
“They thought hiding in dense forests would shield them from the long arm of the law. They were wrong,” Marwa said.
He commended officers of the NDLEA Oyo State Command for what he described as their gallantry, professionalism and dedication during the operation.
Marwa also expressed appreciation to members of the public for providing credible intelligence, urging continued collaboration with law enforcement agencies in the fight against illicit drug trafficking.
