By Peter Omopo
Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have uncovered and dismantled a large-scale clandestine methamphetamine laboratory hidden deep within a forest in Tapa Village, Ibarapa North Local Government Area of Oyo State, arresting five suspected members of an international drug syndicate, including a Mexican national.
The operation marks the second major methamphetamine laboratory dismantled by the agency in the South-West within a month, following a similar raid in Ijebu East, Ogun State, raising concerns over attempts by drug trafficking networks to establish the region as a hub for synthetic drug production.
Addressing journalists at the NDLEA headquarters in Abuja on Wednesday, the agency’s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Mohamed Buba Marwa, represented by the Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, commended officers involved in the operation for their professionalism and dedication.
According to Babafemi, tactical operatives stormed the highly fortified facility on June 17 following intelligence reports, leading to the arrest of five suspects believed to be key members of a Nigerian-Mexican drug cartel.
Among those arrested was 56-year-old Mexican national, Jose Villa Ochoa, who investigators said was brought into Nigeria to provide technical expertise for the large-scale production of methamphetamine. Four Nigerian suspects identified as Maxwell Uche Nevoh, Olatunji Yusuf, Bankole Akeem Owolabi and Ganiu Monsiu were also apprehended during the operation.
The NDLEA said the arrest of a foreign methamphetamine specialist highlights the growing transnational dimension of drug trafficking operations in Nigeria and demonstrates the agency’s intelligence-gathering capabilities.
Following the raid, forensic and chemical monitoring experts from the agency conducted a detailed examination of the site on June 18, uncovering what officials described as a factory-scale drug production facility.
According to the agency, the laboratory contained large quantities of precursor chemicals and industrial equipment used in the manufacture of methamphetamine. Recovered items included drums of phenylacetic acid, a key precursor for methamphetamine production, sulphuric acid, caustic soda, tartaric acid, thioglycolic acid, ethyl phenylacetate and several other controlled substances.
Investigators also recovered industrial processing equipment, including a reactor pot, mounted distillation units, mixers, condensers and vegetable dehydrator machines believed to have been used in the production and processing of methamphetamine crystals.
The NDLEA described the discovery as one of the most significant breakthroughs in its ongoing campaign against drug trafficking and illicit drug manufacturing in the country.
The agency reiterated its commitment to dismantling criminal networks involved in the production and distribution of narcotics, while warning that Nigeria will not be allowed to become a safe haven for international drug syndicates.
Investigations into the operation are ongoing, with authorities expected to pursue additional suspects and collaborators linked to the cartel.
