The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has uncovered and dismantled a large-scale clandestine methamphetamine laboratory in Oyo State, arresting a Mexican national and four Nigerians allegedly linked to an international drug manufacturing syndicate.
The agency said the operation was carried out in a remote forest at Tapa Village, Ibarapa North Local Government Area of Oyo State, where operatives uncovered what officials described as a sophisticated industrial-scale methamphetamine production facility.
The discovery comes less than a month after the NDLEA dismantled another major methamphetamine laboratory in a forested area of Ogun State, raising concerns over attempts by drug trafficking networks to establish the South-West region as a hub for synthetic drug production.
Speaking at a press briefing in Abuja on Wednesday, NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Mohamed Buba Marwa, represented by the agency’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, commended the officers involved in the operation for their professionalism and commitment.
According to the agency, tactical operatives stormed the facility on June 17 following intelligence reports and arrested five suspects at the scene.
Among those arrested was Jose Villa Ochoa, a 56-year-old Mexican national alleged to have been brought into Nigeria to provide technical expertise for large-scale methamphetamine production.
The four Nigerian suspects arrested alongside him were identified as Maxwell Uche Nevoh, Olatunji Yusuf, Bankole Akeem Owolabi, and Ganiu Monsiu.
NDLEA officials said the presence of a foreign drug-production specialist highlighted the transnational nature of the criminal network and underscored the agency’s efforts to combat international drug syndicates operating within Nigeria.
Subsequent forensic examinations conducted at the site revealed a fully operational manufacturing facility equipped with large quantities of precursor chemicals, industrial catalysts, and heavy-duty processing equipment used in the production of methamphetamine.
Recovered materials included large volumes of phenyl-2-propanone (P2P), phenylacetic acid, sulphuric acid, tartaric acid, caustic soda, thioglycolic acid, ethyl phenylacetate, and other chemical substances commonly associated with synthetic drug production.
Operatives also discovered industrial processing equipment, including a reactor pot, distillation units, mixers, condensers, and dehydrator machines used in the crystallisation and drying of methamphetamine.
The NDLEA described the facility as a factory-scale operation capable of producing substantial quantities of illicit drugs, with the recovered chemicals and equipment estimated to be worth several billions of naira.
The agency reiterated its commitment to dismantling drug trafficking and manufacturing networks across the country and warned that Nigeria would not become a safe haven for transnational drug cartels.
Investigations into the operation and possible links to other criminal networks are ongoing.
