NDLEA Dismantles Industrial-Scale Meth Laboratory in Oyo Forest, Arrests Mexican Drug Expert, Four Nigerians

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has uncovered and dismantled a sophisticated industrial-scale clandestine methamphetamine laboratory hidden deep within a forest in Oyo State, arresting a Mexican national and four Nigerian accomplices in what authorities describe as a major blow to an international drug trafficking syndicate.

The operation, carried out in Tapa Village, Ibarapa North Local Government Area of Oyo State, marks the second major discovery of a forest-based methamphetamine production facility in the South-West within a month, raising concerns over attempts by drug cartels to establish the region as a hub for synthetic drug manufacturing.

Speaking at a press briefing at the NDLEA Headquarters in Abuja on Wednesday, the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the agency, Brigadier General Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), represented by the Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, said the successful operation demonstrated the agency’s growing capacity to combat sophisticated international drug networks.

According to Marwa, NDLEA tactical operatives stormed the highly fortified laboratory on 17 June 2026 following intelligence-led investigations.

“This was not a rudimentary setup. It was a sophisticated, highly organised transnational syndicate operating on an industrial scale,” he said.

During the raid, operatives arrested five suspected members of the cartel, including 56-year-old Mexican national, Jose Villa Ochoa, described as a methamphetamine production expert brought into Nigeria specifically to oversee large-scale synthesis operations.

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. Investigators believe they provided logistics, local operational support and security cover for the illicit enterprise.

Marwa noted that the arrest of a foreign methamphetamine specialist operating within Nigeria underscored the international dimension of the drug trade and highlighted the agency’s intelligence-gathering capabilities.

“The arrest of a foreign cartel specialist on Nigerian soil underscores the transnational nature of this threat. More importantly, it demonstrates our agency’s world-class intelligence capability to track, intercept and neutralise such criminal networks,” he stated.

Following the raid, a specialised team from the NDLEA Directorate of Forensic and Chemical Monitoring conducted a comprehensive forensic examination of the site on 18 June.

What investigators discovered, according to the agency, was a fully functional factory-level methamphetamine production facility stocked with large quantities of precursor chemicals, industrial catalysts and sophisticated processing equipment.

Among the chemicals recovered were Phenyl-2-propanone (P2P), a highly controlled precursor essential for methamphetamine production, as well as 1,800-litre drums containing phenylacetic acid used in synthesising P2P.

The agency also recovered two 180-litre drums containing approximately 300 litres of a whitish crystalline substance and four additional 180-litre drums filled with dark liquid undergoing chemical synthesis.

Other materials seized included 101 bags of caustic soda weighing 25 kilograms each, 17 containers of sulphuric acid, 19.5 containers of tartaric acid, five containers of Reniso Ultracool 68, 25 bottles of 80 per cent thioglycolic acid, two containers of ethyl phenylacetate and 25 cartons of aluminium foil.

The laboratory was equally equipped with heavy-duty industrial machinery used in the manufacture of synthetic drugs.

Recovered equipment included a reactor pot used for chemical synthesis, two mounted distillation units, three fabricated mixers and condensers, as well as two vegetable dehydrator machines employed in drying methamphetamine crystals.

According to Marwa, field tests conducted by NDLEA forensic experts confirmed that samples of the finished crystals recovered from the facility tested positive for methamphetamine.

The crystalline substances found in one of the drums also tested positive for phenylacetic acid, a key precursor chemical used in methamphetamine production.

He explained that all exhibits had been safely evacuated, documented and preserved as evidence for prosecution.

“This is yet another multibillion-naira cache of illicit substances and production equipment that could have pushed millions of doses of synthetic drugs into our communities and beyond, but for the vigilance of our dedicated officers,” he said.

The NDLEA chairman expressed concern that the latest discovery, coming barely four weeks after a similar clandestine laboratory was dismantled in a forest in Ijebu East Local Government Area of Ogun State, suggested a deliberate strategy by criminal syndicates to establish a synthetic drug manufacturing corridor across the South-West.

He warned that attempts by drug traffickers to evade detection by relocating operations into remote forests would not succeed.

“The proximity of these discoveries reveals a desperate attempt by drug barons to establish a synthetic drug manufacturing hub in the South-West axis. They thought hiding in dense forests would shield them from the long arm of the law. They were wrong,” Marwa declared.

Delivering a stern warning to local and international drug cartels, he said: “Let the message go out clearly 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 also commended officers and men of the NDLEA Oyo State Command for their courage, professionalism and dedication during the operation.

He further expressed appreciation to members of the public for providing intelligence that contributed to the success of the raid, urging continued cooperation in the fight against drug trafficking and abuse.

“Together, we are securing the future of our nation,” he added.

The latest operation is being viewed as one of the most significant anti-narcotics breakthroughs in recent years and reinforces NDLEA’s intensified campaign against the manufacture and trafficking of synthetic drugs across Nigeria.