The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency has uncovered and dismantled a large-scale methamphetamine production facility concealed in a forest in Oyo State, leading to the arrest of a Mexican national and four Nigerian suspects allegedly linked to an international drug syndicate.
The clandestine laboratory was discovered at Tapa Village in Ibarapa North Local Government Area during a special operation conducted by NDLEA tactical officers on June 17, 2026.
Addressing journalists in Abuja on Wednesday, the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), represented by the agency’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, described the operation as a major success in the fight against organised drug trafficking.
According to Marwa, the suspects arrested include 56-year-old Mexican national, Jose Villa Ochoa, who was allegedly recruited by the cartel to provide technical expertise for methamphetamine production.
The four Nigerian suspects arrested during the operation were identified as Maxwell Uche Nevoh, 30; Olatunji Yusuf, 37; Bankole Akeem Owolabi, 45; and Ganiu Monsiu, 43.
Marwa said forensic investigations revealed that the facility was equipped for industrial-scale production of methamphetamine.
“Our forensic experts found a fully functional methamphetamine laboratory containing large quantities of precursor chemicals, industrial catalysts and sophisticated processing equipment used in the manufacture of illicit drugs,” he said.
He disclosed that chemicals recovered from the site included Phenyl-2-propanone (P2P), Phenylacetic Acid, Sulphuric Acid, Caustic Soda, Tartaric Acid, Thioglycolic Acid and Ethyl Phenylacetate.
The agency also recovered several drums containing substances undergoing chemical synthesis, as well as equipment such as reactor pots, distillation units, condensers, mixers and vegetable dehydrator machines.
“Preliminary field tests conducted on samples recovered from the laboratory confirmed the presence of methamphetamine,” Marwa stated, adding that all exhibits had been secured and preserved as evidence for prosecution.
The NDLEA chairman noted that the latest discovery came less than a month after the agency dismantled another methamphetamine laboratory hidden in a forest in Ijebu East Local Government Area of Ogun State.
He warned drug traffickers against attempting to establish production bases in Nigeria, insisting that the agency would continue to pursue criminal networks wherever they operate.
“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,” Marwa said.
He commended the operatives involved in the operation and expressed appreciation to members of the public whose intelligence contributed to the successful raid.
