TDThe National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has dismantled a large-scale clandestine methamphetamine laboratory hidden deep within a forest in Oyo State.
NDLEA operatives arrested a Mexican national and four Nigerian suspects during the raid.
Authorities described the operation as a major blow against transnational drug trafficking networks.
The operation was carried out in Tapa Village, Ibarapa North Local Government Area of Oyo State.
It led to the discovery of a fortified methamphetamine production facility.
It also led to the seizure of multi-billion-naira worth of illicit substances, precursor chemicals and industrial processing equipment.
NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd) made the disclosure while speaking at a press briefing in Abuja on Wednesday.
Gen. Marwa, represented by the Agency’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, said the raid was conducted on June 17 by tactical operatives acting on intelligence.
According to Marwa, the suspects arrested at the site included 56-year-old Mexican methamphetamine expert, Jose Villa Ochoa.
Ochoa was allegedly recruited to provide technical expertise for large-scale drug production.
The four Nigerian suspects were identified as Maxwell Uche Nevoh, 30; Olatunji Yusuf, 37; Bankole Akeem Owolabi, 45; and Ganiu Monsiu, 43.
Marwa described the facility as a sophisticated, industrial-scale operation run by a Nigerian-Mexican cartel.
He noted that the arrest of a foreign drug specialist highlighted both the international dimension of the drug trade and the agency’s intelligence-gathering capabilities.
A forensic examination of the laboratory conducted on June 18 revealed large quantities of controlled precursor chemicals and production materials.
These include drums of Phenylacetic Acid, Phenyl-2-propanone (P2P), sulphuric acid, tartaric acid and caustic soda.
Investigators also recovered reactor pots, distillation units, mixers, condensers and dehydrator machines used in the manufacturing process.
Field tests conducted by NDLEA forensic experts confirmed the presence of methamphetamine crystals at the site.
The NDLEA boss said the latest discovery came barely four weeks after a similar methamphetamine laboratory was uncovered in a forest in Ijebu East Local Government Area of Ogun State.
This, he said, suggests a deliberate effort by drug cartels to establish a synthetic drug manufacturing hub in the South-West region.
He warned drug traffickers that Nigeria would not become a safe haven for illicit drug production.
“We will find you in the cities, we will track you into the forests, and we will dismantle your infrastructure of death,” Marwa declared.
He also commended officers of the Oyo State Command for their professionalism.
He thanked members of the public for providing credible intelligence that contributed to the successful operation.
