NDLEA Busts Major Meth Lab in Oyo Forest, Arrests Mexican Drug Expert, Four Nigerians

By Zainab Uzomah|Abuja

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has dismantled a fortified industrial-scale methamphetamine laboratory hidden deep inside a forest in Oyo State and arrested five suspected members of a transnational drug cartel, including a Mexican national believed to be the syndicate’s meth production expert.

The operation, carried out by NDLEA tactical operatives at Tapa Village in Ibarapa North Local Government Area of Oyo State, is being described as one of the agency’s most significant breakthroughs against synthetic drug production networks in Nigeria.

According to NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, retired Brigadier General Mohamed Buba Marwa, the laboratory was uncovered on June 17 following intelligence-driven operations targeting drug cartels operating in the South-West.

Marwa, who spoke through the agency’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, during a press briefing at the NDLEA headquarters in Abuja on Wednesday, said the discovery came barely four weeks after operatives dismantled another large methamphetamine laboratory hidden in a forest in Ijebu East Local Government Area of Ogun State.

He said the latest discovery points to a growing attempt by drug trafficking syndicates to establish the South-West region as a hub for the production of synthetic drugs.

Among those arrested during the raid was 56-year-old Mexican national, Jose Villa Ochoa, who investigators believe was brought into Nigeria to provide technical expertise for large-scale methamphetamine production.

Others arrested include Maxwell Uche Nevoh, 30; Olatunji Yusuf, 37; Bankole Akeem Owolabi, 45; and Ganiu Monsiu, 43.

According to the NDLEA, the suspects were apprehended inside the heavily fortified facility during the operation.

Marwa described the laboratory as a sophisticated industrial-scale production centre rather than a makeshift drug-processing site.

“The arrest of a foreign cartel specialist on Nigerian soil underscores the transnational nature of this threat and demonstrates the agency’s intelligence capability to identify, track and dismantle such criminal networks,” he said.

Following the raid, NDLEA forensic and chemical monitoring experts conducted a detailed examination of the facility and discovered large quantities of precursor chemicals, industrial catalysts and processing equipment used in methamphetamine production.

Among the substances recovered were Phenyl-2-Propanone (P2P), a highly controlled precursor chemical essential for methamphetamine synthesis, large volumes of phenylacetic acid, sulphuric acid, tartaric acid and other chemicals used in the manufacturing process.

The agency also recovered drums containing substances undergoing chemical synthesis, more than 100 bags of caustic soda, containers of industrial cooling agents and several cartons of aluminium foil.

Investigators further discovered heavy-duty industrial equipment, including a reactor pot used for chemical synthesis, mounted distillation units, fabricated mixers, condensers and vegetable dehydrator machines used in processing and drying methamphetamine crystals.

NDLEA said field tests conducted by forensic experts confirmed the presence of methamphetamine and other precursor substances at the site.

The agency noted that all recovered exhibits have been documented and secured as evidence for prosecution.

Marwa said the seizure prevented billions of naira worth of illicit substances from reaching local and international drug markets.

He warned drug cartels operating within and outside Nigeria that the country would not serve as a safe haven for drug production and trafficking.

“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,” he said.

The NDLEA boss commended officers of the Oyo State Command for their professionalism and bravery durin