NDLEA Dismantles Industrial-Scale Meth Lab in Oyo Forest, Arrests Mexican, 4 Nigerians
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has dismantled a major clandestine methamphetamine production facility hidden deep within a forest in Oyo State, arresting a Mexican national and four Nigerian suspects linked to an international drug trafficking syndicate.
The operation, carried out by NDLEA operatives at Tapa Village in Ibarapa North Local Government Area, led to the discovery of what authorities described as a fortified, industrial-scale methamphetamine laboratory capable of producing large quantities of synthetic drugs.
The agency said the raid was conducted on June 17, 2026, following intelligence on the activities of a Nigerian-Mexican drug cartel operating from the remote forest location.
Among those arrested was 56-year-old Mexican national, Jose Villa Ochoa, identified by the NDLEA as a methamphetamine production specialist allegedly brought into Nigeria to provide technical expertise for large-scale drug manufacturing. The four Nigerian suspects arrested alongside him were identified as Maxwell Uche Nevoh, 30; Olatunji Yusuf, 37; Bankole Akeem Owolabi, 45; and Ganiu Monsiu, 43.
Speaking at a press briefing in Abuja on Wednesday, NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig.-Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), represented by the agency’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, described the operation as a significant breakthrough against transnational drug trafficking networks.
According to the agency, forensic and chemical experts who examined the facility discovered a sophisticated production line equipped with large quantities of precursor chemicals, industrial catalysts and heavy-duty processing equipment used in the manufacture of methamphetamine.
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Recovered materials included drums containing Phenyl-2-propanone (P2P), a key precursor in methamphetamine production, large volumes of phenylacetic acid, sulphuric acid, tartaric acid and other chemical substances. NDLEA operatives also recovered more than 100 bags of caustic soda, containers of ethyl phenylacetate and thioglycolic acid, as well as cartons of aluminium foil.
The agency further disclosed that industrial equipment recovered from the site included a reactor pot, mounted distillation units, fabricated mixers and condensers, and vegetable dehydrator machines used in drying methamphetamine crystals.
Field tests conducted on samples recovered from the laboratory confirmed the presence of methamphetamine, while other substances tested positive for precursor chemicals used in the drug’s production process.
NDLEA said all exhibits recovered from the facility had been evacuated, documented and preserved as evidence for prosecution.
Marwa noted that the latest discovery came less than a month after the agency dismantled another large-scale methamphetamine laboratory in a forest in Ijebu East Local Government Area of Ogun State, raising concerns about attempts by drug cartels to establish a synthetic drug production corridor in Nigeria’s South-West region.
He warned that the agency would continue to intensify efforts to identify and dismantle drug manufacturing operations across the country, regardless of their location.
“The arrest of a foreign cartel specialist on Nigerian soil underscores the transnational nature of this threat and our determination to track, intercept and neutralise criminal networks operating within and outside Nigeria,” he said.
The NDLEA chairman also commended officers of the Oyo State Command for their professionalism and dedication during the operation and thanked members of the public for providing intelligence that contributed to the successful raid.
The latest seizure is regarded as one of the most significant anti-narcotics operations in recent months and highlights growing concerns over the involvement of international criminal organisations in the illicit manufacture of synthetic drugs in Nigeria.Source: National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).
By PRNigeria
