The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency has busted a multi-billion naira clandestine methamphetamine laboratory hidden in a forest in Oyo State and arrested five suspects, including a Mexican national allegedly brought in as a technical expert.
The raid took place on June 17 in Tapa Village, Ibarapa North Local Government Area, following actionable intelligence. NDLEA Chairman, Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (retd.), announced the breakthrough in Abuja on Wednesday, calling it a major blow against transnational drug syndicates operating in Nigeria.
Marwa said the facility was not a makeshift set-up but a sophisticated, industrial-scale operation run by a highly organised cartel. The suspects arrested include 56-year-old Mexican methamphetamine expert Jose Villa Ochoa and four Nigerians identified as Maxwell Nevoh, 30; Olatunji Yusuf, 37; Bankole Owolabi, 45; and Ganiu Monsiu, 43.
According to the agency, forensic teams found a massive production line stocked with precursor chemicals, industrial catalysts, and heavy-duty processing equipment. Items recovered include drums of phenyl-2-propanone and phenylacetic acid, crystalline substances confirmed as methamphetamine, caustic soda, sulphuric acid, tartaric acid, and several containers of other chemical compounds.
Inside Oyo:
NDLEA Foils Drug Smuggling at Lagos Airport
NDLEA arrest woman with drugs concealed in fake pregnancy
Police Nab Three Suspected Car Snatchers, Recover Firearms in Oyo
NDLEA arrests two elderly men, others in nationwide drug raids
NDLEA Seizes Over 320,000 Tramadol Capsules Hidden in Truck in Taraba
The laboratory also housed a reactor pot, distillation units, fabricated mixers, condensers, and vegetable dehydrator machines used to dry the finished product. Field tests confirmed the presence of methamphetamine in the recovered crystals. All materials have been evacuated and documented for court evidence.
Marwa said the arrest of the foreign suspect underscores the international dimension of the drug trade and highlights the agency’s capacity to track and neutralise transnational threats. He noted that the discovery comes barely four weeks after a similar industrial-scale meth lab was dismantled in Ogun State, suggesting a deliberate attempt by cartels to establish a synthetic drug hub in the South-West.
The NDLEA chairman warned that Nigeria would not be a safe haven for drug traffickers and manufacturers. He commended the Oyo State Command officers for their professionalism and thanked the public for providing credible intelligence that made the operation possible.
Marwa said the seized substances and equipment were valued at billions of naira and would have pushed millions of doses of synthetic drugs into local and international markets if not intercepted.
About The Author
