The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has uncovered and dismantled another industrial-scale clandestine methamphetamine laboratory hidden deep inside a forest in Oyo State, arresting a Mexican national and four Nigerian collaborators in what authorities described as a major blow against an emerging transnational drug manufacturing network.
The discovery was made at Tapa Village in Ibarapa North Local Government Area of Oyo State, where operatives stormed a heavily fortified facility allegedly operated by a Nigerian-Mexican drug cartel.
The latest operation comes barely four weeks after the agency dismantled a similar large-scale methamphetamine laboratory concealed in a forest in Ijebu East Local Government Area of Ogun State, raising concerns over attempts by international drug syndicates to establish the South-West region as a hub for synthetic drug production.
Addressing journalists at the NDLEA headquarters in Abuja on Wednesday, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the agency, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), represented by the Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, praised the officers involved for what he described as their courage, professionalism and intelligence-driven operation.
According to Marwa, tactical operatives carried out the raid on June 17, following extensive surveillance and intelligence gathering.
“This was not a rudimentary setup. It was a sophisticated, highly organised transnational syndicate operating an industrial-scale methamphetamine production facility,” he said.
Among those arrested was 56-year-old Mexican national, Jose Villa Ochoa, whom NDLEA identified as a methamphetamine production specialist allegedly recruited to provide technical expertise for large-scale drug synthesis.
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.
Marwa said the arrest of a foreign methamphetamine expert on Nigerian soil highlights the growing international dimension of the illicit drug trade and demonstrates the agency’s capacity to track and dismantle sophisticated criminal networks.
Massive Drug Production Facility Uncovered
Following the raid, a team from the agency’s Directorate of Forensic and Chemical Monitoring conducted an extensive examination of the site and discovered what officials described as a factory-level methamphetamine production line.
Investigators recovered large quantities of precursor chemicals used in the manufacture of methamphetamine, including Phenyl-2-Propanone (P2P), one of the most tightly controlled substances in synthetic drug production.
Also recovered were 1,800-litre drums containing Phenylacetic Acid, several drums containing crystalline substances and chemical mixtures undergoing synthesis, as well as substantial quantities of caustic soda, sulphuric acid, tartaric acid, ethyl phenylacetate, thioglycolic acid and industrial cooling agents.
The agency further recovered dozens of cartons of aluminium foil and other materials commonly used in illicit drug processing.
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NDLEA said the laboratory was equipped with industrial-grade processing machinery, including a reactor pot used for chemical synthesis, mounted distillation units, fabricated mixers and condensers, and vegetable dehydrator machines used in drying methamphetamine crystals.
According to the agency, field tests conducted by forensic experts confirmed that samples recovered from the facility tested positive for methamphetamine, while other substances were identified as key precursor chemicals used in the production process.
Officials said all exhibits had been safely evacuated, documented and preserved for prosecution.
Marwa noted that the quantity of chemicals and equipment recovered represented multi-billion-naira worth of illicit substances capable of producing millions of doses of synthetic drugs for local and international markets.
South-West Emerging as Target for Drug Cartels
The NDLEA chairman expressed concern over the proximity of the Oyo laboratory to the recently dismantled Ogun facility, describing it as evidence of a deliberate effort by drug traffickers to establish a synthetic drug manufacturing corridor in the South-West.
“The proximity of this discovery to the Ogun State laboratory uncovered just weeks ago reveals a desperate attempt by drug barons to establish a synthetic drug manufacturing hub in the South-West axis,” he said.
He warned both local and international drug syndicates that Nigeria would continue to intensify efforts to dismantle criminal networks involved in the illicit drug trade.
“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 stated.
The agency also commended officers of its Oyo State Command for their role in the operation and thanked members of the public for providing intelligence that contributed to the successful raid.
As Nigeria continues to battle the growing threat of synthetic drug production and trafficking, the latest seizure underscores the increasingly sophisticated methods being adopted by criminal networks and the challenge facing law enforcement agencies in preventing the country from becoming a regional centre for illicit drug manufacturing.
Esther Ososanya is an investigative journalist with Pinnacle Daily, reporting across health, business, environment, metro, Fct and crime. Known for her bold, empathetic storytelling, she uncovers hidden truths, challenges broken systems, and gives voice to overlooked Nigerians. Her work drives national conversations and demands accountability one powerful story at a time.