The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has uncovered and dismantled an industrial-scale methamphetamine production facility hidden inside a forest in Oyo State, arresting a Mexican national and four Nigerians in an operation officials have described as a breakthrough against an international drug cartel.
The laboratory was discovered on June 17 in Tapa Village, Ibarapa North Local Government Area, during a targeted raid by NDLEA operatives. The facility was concealed deep within the forest, suggesting a deliberate attempt by those behind it to evade detection by security agencies.
Among those arrested was Jose Villa Ochoa, a 56-year-old Mexican national allegedly recruited specifically to provide technical expertise for large-scale meth production, pointing to the involvement of an organised transnational network. The four Nigerians arrested alongside him were identified as Maxwell Uche Nevoh, Olatunji Yusuf, Bankole Akeem Owolabi, and Ganiu Monsiu.
NDLEA Chairman Brigadier General Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd) said the facility was equipped with large quantities of precursor chemicals and industrial processing equipment used in methamphetamine manufacture. Forensic tests conducted at the site confirmed the presence of the drug, and all recovered substances and equipment have been secured as evidence for prosecution.
The discovery comes less than four weeks after the agency dismantled another large meth laboratory concealed in a forest in neighbouring Ogun State. The back-to-back finds have raised serious concerns about coordinated attempts by drug cartels to establish Nigeria’s South-West as a regional hub for synthetic drug production, taking advantage of dense forest cover to set up operations away from populated areas.
Marwa issued a stark warning to both domestic and international drug networks, making clear that the agency would pursue cartel operations regardless of where they were hidden. “Let the message go out clearly to all drug cartels 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.
“They thought hiding in dense forests would shield them from the long arm of the law. They were wrong,” Marwa added.
The agency described the Oyo operation as another significant blow against transnational drug trafficking networks and commended the officers involved for their professionalism and courage during the raid.
