Abuja, June 24, 2026, – The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has uncovered and dismantled an industrial-scale clandestine methamphetamine laboratory hidden in a forest in Oyo State, arresting a Mexican national and four Nigerians in the process.
The Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, retired Brig.-Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa, disclosed this at a news briefing in Abuja on Wednesday.
Represented by the agency’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Mr Femi Babafemi, Marwa said the operation was carried out at Tapa Village in Ibarapa North Local Government Area of Oyo State.
He said the raid followed intelligence gathering and surveillance by operatives of the agency.
According to him, the suspects arrested at the facility include a 56-year-old Mexican national, Jose Villa Ochoa, alleged to be a methamphetamine production expert, and four Nigerians identified as Maxwell Uche Nevoh, 30; Olatunji Yusuf, 37; Bankole Akeem Owolabi, 45; and Ganiu Monsiu, 43.
Marwa described the laboratory as a sophisticated industrial-scale facility operated by a transnational drug cartel.
He said forensic experts who examined the site recovered large quantities of precursor chemicals and industrial processing equipment used in the manufacture of methamphetamine.
“The laboratory was fully stocked with a frightening array of precursor chemicals, industrial catalysts and heavy-duty processing equipment.
“Among the items recovered were drums containing Phenylacetic Acid, Phenyl-2-Propanone (P2P), sulphuric acid, tartaric acid, caustic soda and other chemicals used in the synthesis of methamphetamine,” he said.
The NDLEA boss added that industrial equipment recovered from the facility included a reactor pot, distillation units, fabricated mixers, condensers and dehydrator machines.
He said preliminary field tests conducted by forensic experts confirmed that samples recovered from the site tested positive for methamphetamine.
Marwa noted that the latest discovery came barely four weeks after a similar clandestine laboratory was dismantled in a forest in Ijebu East Local Government Area of Ogun State.
According to him, the development suggests attempts by drug cartels to establish a synthetic drug production hub in the South-West region.
He warned local and international drug trafficking organisations against using Nigeria as a base for illicit drug production and trafficking.
“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,” he said.
Marwa commended officers of the NDLEA Oyo State Command for their professionalism and bravery during the operation.
He also thanked members of the public for providing credible information that aided the agency’s anti-drug operations.
