By Precious Mark
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has uncovered and dismantled a large-scale clandestine methamphetamine laboratory hidden in a forest in Oyo State, arresting a Mexican national and four Nigerians linked to the operation.
The agency said the facility, located in Tapa Village, Ibarapa North Local Government Area of Oyo State, was being operated by a Nigerian-Mexican drug cartel and was equipped for industrial-scale production of methamphetamine.
Speaking at a press briefing in Abuja on Wednesday, Brig.-Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, represented by the agency’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, described the discovery as another major breakthrough in the fight against illicit drug production and trafficking.
According to Marwa, NDLEA tactical operatives stormed the heavily fortified facility on June 17, 2026, following intelligence reports and arrested five key members of the syndicate.
Those arrested include 56-year-old Mexican methamphetamine expert, Jose Villa Ochoa, who was allegedly brought into Nigeria to provide technical expertise for large-scale drug production, and four Nigerian suspects identified as Maxwell Uche Nevoh, 30; Olatunji Yusuf, 37; Bankole Akeem Owolabi, 45; and Ganiu Monsiu, 43.
Marwa said the arrest of the foreign suspect highlights the growing transnational nature of drug trafficking operations in Nigeria.
“This was not a rudimentary setup; it was a sophisticated, highly organised transnational syndicate,” he said.
Following the raid, a team from the agency’s Directorate of Forensic and Chemical Monitoring conducted further examination of the facility on June 18, uncovering what Marwa described as a factory-level drug production line.
Items recovered from the site included large quantities of controlled chemicals and drug precursors such as Phenyl-2-propanone (P2P), Phenylacetic acid, caustic soda, sulphuric acid, tartaric acid, ethyl phenylacetate and other substances used in the production of methamphetamine.
The operatives also recovered industrial equipment including a reactor pot, distillation units, mixers, condensers and drying machines used in processing synthetic drugs.
NDLEA said field tests conducted by forensic experts confirmed that samples recovered from the facility tested positive for methamphetamine.
Marwa noted that the latest discovery came barely four weeks after the agency dismantled another large methamphetamine laboratory hidden in a forest in Ijebu East Local Government Area of Ogun State.
He said the two discoveries point to an attempt by drug cartels to establish a synthetic drug manufacturing hub in the South-West region.
“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,” Marwa warned.
The NDLEA boss commended officers of the Oyo State Command involved in the operation for their professionalism and dedication, while also appreciating members of the public for providing useful information that aided the success of the raid.
He reiterated the agency’s commitment to intensifying efforts against drug trafficking networks and protecting communities from the dangers posed by illicit drugs.