The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has uncovered a fortified, industrial-scale methamphetamine laboratory hidden in a forest in Tapa Village, Ibarapa North Local Government Area of Oyo State, arresting a Mexican national and four Nigerians linked to the operation.

The discovery comes less than a month after the agency dismantled another large methamphetamine production facility in a forest in Ijebu East, Ogun State, highlighting what authorities describe as efforts by drug cartels to establish the South-West as a major hub for synthetic drug production.

Announcing the breakthrough, NDLEA Chairman, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), praised the officers involved in the operation for their professionalism and commitment.

According to him, NDLEA tactical operatives stormed the facility on June 17, 2026, following intelligence reports.

Marwa described the laboratory as a sophisticated operation run by a transnational criminal syndicate rather than a makeshift drug-production site.

Five suspects were arrested during the raid, including 56-year-old Mexican methamphetamine specialist Jose Villa Ochoa, who was allegedly brought into Nigeria to provide technical expertise for large-scale drug manufacturing.

The other suspects are Maxwell Uche Nevoh, 30; Olatunji Yusuf, 37; Bankole Akeem Owolabi, 45; and Ganiu Monsiu, 43, all of whom were said to have played various logistical and operational roles within the cartel.

“The arrest of a foreign cartel specialist on Nigerian soil underscores the transnational nature of this threat,” Marwa said, adding that the operation demonstrated the agency’s intelligence and enforcement capabilities.

Following the raid, forensic experts from the agency's Directorate of Forensic and Chemical Monitoring conducted an extensive examination of the facility and uncovered what Marwa described as a factory-scale production line.

Among the substances recovered were large quantities of precursor chemicals and materials used in methamphetamine production, including Phenyl-2-propanone (P2P), phenylacetic acid, caustic soda, sulphuric acid, tartaric acid, thioglycolic acid, ethyl phenylacetate and several drums containing substances at different stages of chemical processing.

The agency also recovered industrial equipment, including a reactor pot, mounted distillation units, fabricated mixers and condensers, as well as vegetable dehydrator machines used in drying methamphetamine crystals.

Marwa disclosed that field tests conducted on samples recovered from the site confirmed the presence of methamphetamine, while other substances tested positive for phenylacetic acid, a key precursor used in the production process.

He noted that all recovered exhibits had been documented and secured as evidence for prosecution.

According to the NDLEA chairman, the latest discovery represents another multibillion-naira drug operation capable of producing millions of doses of synthetic narcotics for distribution within and outside Nigeria.

He said the proximity of the Oyo laboratory to the recently dismantled Ogun facility suggests a deliberate attempt by drug syndicates to create a synthetic drug manufacturing network in the South-West.

“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, track you into the forests, and dismantle your infrastructure of death,” Marwa warned.

He also commended officers of the NDLEA Oyo State Command for their courage and professionalism and thanked members of the public for providing credible intelligence that aided the successful operation.

“Together, we are securing the future of our nation,” he added.