Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have uncovered and dismantled a fortified, industrial-scale clandestine methamphetamine laboratory operated by a Nigerian-Mexican drug cartel deep inside a forest in Tapa Village, Ibarapa North Local Government Area of Oyo State.
The operation, which led to the arrest of a Mexican methamphetamine expert and four Nigerian collaborators, is the latest major breakthrough by the agency in its fight against transnational drug trafficking and the production of illicit substances in Nigeria.
In a statement by the NDLEA Director, Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, the discovery was made on Wednesday, June 17, 2026, during a tactical operation that targeted the highly secured facility hidden within the forest.
The arrested suspects include 56-year-old Mexican national, Jose Villa Ochoa, who was allegedly brought into Nigeria to provide technical expertise for large-scale methamphetamine production, and four Nigerians identified as Maxwell Uche Nevoh, 30, Olatunji Yusuf, 37, Bankole Akeem Owolabi, 45, and Ganiu Monsiu, 43.
Speaking during a briefing at the NDLEA headquarters in Abuja on Wednesday, the agency’s Chairman/Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), represented by the Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, said the discovery exposed the activities of a sophisticated international drug syndicate.
Marwa said the laboratory was not a makeshift facility but a fully equipped industrial production site designed for large-scale methamphetamine manufacturing.
A forensic examination of the facility carried out on June 18, 2026, revealed large quantities of precursor chemicals, industrial catalysts and heavy-duty processing equipment.
Recovered items included Phenyl-2-propanone (P2P), a controlled precursor used in methamphetamine production, 1,800-litre drums of Phenylacetic acid, 300 litres of whitish crystalline substance; four drums containing dark liquid undergoing synthesis, as well as several other chemical materials.
Other items are 101 bags of caustic soda, sulphuric acid, tartaric acid, thioglycolic acid, ethyl phenylacetate, aluminium foil and other materials linked to synthetic drug production.
The agency also recovered industrial equipment including a reactor pot, mounted distillation units, fabricated mixers and condensers, as well as vegetable dehydrator machines allegedly used in processing and drying methamphetamine crystals.
NDLEA forensic experts conducted field tests on samples recovered from the facility, which confirmed the presence of methamphetamine and Phenylacetic acid.
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The agency described the seizure as a multi-billion-naira loss to the criminal syndicate, noting that the recovered substances and equipment could have produced millions of doses of illicit drugs for distribution locally and internationally.
Marwa linked the latest discovery to another large methamphetamine laboratory dismantled in a forest in Ijebu East, Ogun State, about four weeks earlier, suggesting an attempt by drug cartels to establish synthetic drug production centres in the South-West region.
He warned drug syndicates that the agency would continue to pursue them regardless of where they operate.
“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 said.
The NDLEA boss commended officers involved in the operation and thanked members of the public for providing credible information that assisted the agency’s efforts.
He assured Nigerians that the agency would sustain its offensive against drug trafficking, production and distribution networks across the country.
