The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has uncovered and dismantled a heavily fortified, industrial-scale methamphetamine laboratory hidden deep inside a forest in Oyo State, arresting a Mexican national and four Nigerians allegedly operating the illicit drug factory.
The clandestine facility, located in Tapa Village in Ibarapa North Local Government Area of Oyo State, was described by the agency as a sophisticated transnational operation capable of producing massive quantities of methamphetamine for distribution within Nigeria and abroad.
The latest bust comes barely four weeks after the agency dismantled another large meth laboratory hidden in a forest in Ogun State, raising fresh concerns that drug cartels are seeking to establish the South-West as a major hub for synthetic drug production.
Speaking at a press briefing in Abuja on Wednesday, NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brigadier General Buba Marwa (retd.), represented by the agency’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, said the operation dealt a major blow to an international drug syndicate.
According to him, NDLEA tactical operatives stormed the forest hideout on June 17 and arrested five key suspects on site, including 56-year-old Mexican national, Jose Villa Ochoa, whom investigators believe was brought into the country to provide technical expertise for large-scale methamphetamine production.
The other suspects 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 on Nigerian soil highlights the increasingly transnational dimension of drug trafficking and synthetic drug production, while also demonstrating the agency’s growing intelligence and operational capabilities.
Following the raid, forensic and chemical monitoring experts from the agency conducted an extensive examination of the facility and discovered what officials described as a factory-level production line stocked with an alarming array of precursor chemicals and industrial equipment.
Among the materials recovered were large quantities of Phenyl-2-propanone (P2P), a highly controlled precursor used in methamphetamine production, massive drums of phenylacetic acid, crystalline substances undergoing processing, and several containers of dark liquids in different stages of synthesis.
The agency also recovered 101 bags of caustic soda, numerous containers of sulphuric acid, tartaric acid, thioglycolic acid and ethyl phenylacetate, alongside dozens of cartons of aluminium foil and other industrial chemicals.
Investigators further discovered sophisticated processing equipment, including a reactor pot, mounted distillation units, fabricated mixers and condensers, as well as industrial dehydrator machines used in drying methamphetamine crystals.
Field tests carried out by NDLEA forensic experts confirmed that samples of the crystals recovered from the facility tested positive for methamphetamine, while other substances tested positive for precursor chemicals used in synthesising the illicit drug.
Marwa said all exhibits had been evacuated, properly documented and preserved for prosecution purposes.
He noted that the sheer scale of the operation represented another multi-billion-naira investment by drug cartels aimed at flooding Nigerian communities and international markets with millions of doses of synthetic drugs.
The NDLEA boss warned that the latest discovery, coming shortly after a similar operation in neighbouring Ogun State, suggested a deliberate and desperate attempt by drug syndicates to turn the South-West into a manufacturing base for synthetic narcotics.
He vowed that the agency would continue to pursue and dismantle drug networks regardless of where 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,” he said.
Nigeria has increasingly emerged as a transit route and production centre for synthetic drugs, with authorities recording a rise in clandestine methamphetamine laboratories in recent years. Security experts warn that the proliferation of synthetic drug production poses significant public health and security risks, fuels organised crime and addiction, and threatens regional stability.
Marwa commended officers of the NDLEA Oyo State Command for what he described as their gallantry, dedication and professionalism during the operation and urged Nigerians to continue providing credible intelligence to assist the agency in combating the illicit drug trade.
Michael Olugbode
