NDLEA Busts Secret Meth Factory In Oyo Forest, Arrests Mexican Drug Chemist

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has dismantled a large-scale clandestine methamphetamine laboratory hidden deep inside a forest in Oyo State, arresting a Mexican national and four Nigerians allegedly linked to an international drug manufacturing network.

The operation, carried out at Tapa Village in Ibarapa North Local Government Area, marks one of the agency's most significant anti-narcotics breakthroughs this year and comes barely four weeks after another major meth laboratory was uncovered in a forest in neighbouring Ogun State.

NDLEA officials said the facility was not a makeshift operation but a sophisticated industrial-scale production centre equipped with specialised chemical processing equipment and stocked with large quantities of controlled substances used in methamphetamine manufacturing.

Speaking at the NDLEA headquarters in Abuja on Wednesday, the agency's Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brigadier General Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd), represented by the Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, described the operation as a major blow to transnational drug trafficking networks.

According to him, NDLEA tactical operatives stormed the forest facility on June 17 following intelligence gathering and surveillance operations.

Among those arrested was 56-year-old Mexican national, Jose Villa Ochoa, whom the agency identified as a methamphetamine production expert allegedly brought into Nigeria to provide technical expertise for large-scale drug manufacturing.

The four Nigerian suspects arrested alongside him were identified as Maxwell Uche Nevoh 30, Olatunji Yusuf 37, Bankole Akeem Owolabi 45 and Ganiu Monsiu 43.

Marwa said the arrest of a foreign specialist highlights the international dimension of drug trafficking operations in Nigeria and demonstrates the growing sophistication of criminal networks seeking to establish production bases within the country.

"The arrest of a foreign cartel specialist on Nigerian soil underscores the transnational nature of this threat," he said.

"More importantly, it underscores our agency's intelligence capability to track, intercept and neutralise such criminal operations."

Following the raid, NDLEA forensic and chemical experts conducted a detailed examination of the site and discovered what officials described as a fully operational factory-level methamphetamine production line.

Among the items recovered were large quantities of precursor chemicals commonly used in the synthesis of methamphetamine, including Phenyl-2-Propanone (P2P), regarded as one of the most critical controlled ingredients in meth production.

The agency also recovered multiple drums containing Phenylacetic Acid, another key precursor chemical, alongside containers filled with substances undergoing various stages of chemical processing.

Investigators further seized more than 100 bags of caustic soda, several containers of sulphuric acid, tartaric acid, ethyl phenylacetate, thioglycolic acid and dozens of cartons of aluminium foil.

The laboratory was equipped with industrial-grade processing machinery, including a reactor pot, mounted distillation units, mixers, condensers and specialised drying machines used in crystal production.

According to NDLEA, preliminary field tests conducted by forensic experts confirmed that samples recovered from the site tested positive for methamphetamine.

Officials said all exhibits have been documented, evacuated and preserved as evidence for prosecution.

Marwa described the discovery as another attempt by international drug syndicates to transform parts of Southwest Nigeria into a major hub for synthetic drug manufacturing.

He noted that the proximity of the latest laboratory to the meth factory dismantled recently in Ogun State suggests a coordinated effort by criminal groups to establish production networks within the region.

"This is another multibillion-naira illicit drug operation that could have produced millions of doses of dangerous substances for distribution within Nigeria and beyond," he said.

The NDLEA chairman warned drug cartels that Nigeria would not become a safe haven for narcotics production, vowing that the agency would continue to target and dismantle illegal laboratories wherever they are located.

"We will find them in the cities, we will track them into the forests, and we will dismantle their infrastructure," he said.

The agency also commended officers involved in the operation for what it described as professionalism, courage and dedication.

NDLEA urged members of the public to continue providing credible intelligence, stressing that public cooperation remains crucial in the fight against drug trafficking and organised crime.