The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency has dismantled a suspected methamphetamine production facility hidden in a forested part of Oyo State and arrested five individuals, including a Mexican national believed to have played a key role in the operation.
The agency’s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (retd.), announced the development on Wednesday in Abuja, describing the raid as a significant victory against organised drug syndicates operating in Nigeria.
According to him, NDLEA operatives acted on intelligence reports before storming the facility located in Tapa Village, Ibarapa North Local Government Area, on June 17.
Speaking through the agency’s spokesman, Femi Babafemi, Marwa said the operation exposed a sophisticated criminal network involved in the illegal production of synthetic drugs.
“Today, we are proud to announce that our operatives, acting on zero-sharp, credible intelligence, have struck another decisive blow deeper into the heart of yet another cartel.
“Tactical operatives of the NDLEA stormed the highly fortified industrial-scale clandestine methamphetamine laboratory operating deep within the forest of Tapa Village. This is not a rudimentary set-up; it was a sophisticated, highly organised transnational syndicate.”
The suspects arrested include 56-year-old Mexican national Jose Villa Ochoa and four Nigerians identified as Maxwell Nevoh, Olatunji Yusuf, Bankole Owolabi and Ganiu Monsiu.
Marwa said the involvement of a foreign national demonstrates the cross-border nature of drug trafficking operations targeting Nigeria.
“The arrest of a foreign cartel specialist on Nigerian soil underscores the transnational nature of this threat, but more importantly, it underscores our agency’s world-class intelligence capability to track, intercept and neutralise them,” he said.
Investigators who combed the site reportedly recovered large volumes of chemical substances and industrial equipment allegedly used in the manufacture of methamphetamine.
The agency said precursor chemicals, processing materials and specialised machinery used in drug production were discovered during the operation. Preliminary tests carried out on samples recovered from the laboratory reportedly confirmed the presence of methamphetamine.
“Samples of the finished crystals recovered yielded a definitive positive result for methamphetamine.”
Marwa described the seizure as a major disruption of efforts by criminal groups to establish drug manufacturing bases in the South-West.
“This is yet another multi-billion-dollar worth of illicit substances and production equipment ready to push millions of doses of synthetic drugs into our streets, our communities and the international community, but for the vigilance of our dedicated officers,” he said.
He noted that the latest operation followed the discovery of another large methamphetamine laboratory in Ogun State just weeks earlier, suggesting a growing attempt by drug cartels to entrench their activities in the region.
“The proximity of this discovery to the Ogun State lab uncovered about four weeks ago reveals a desperate attempt by drug barons to establish a synthetic drug manufacturing hub in the South-West axis.
“They thought hiding in dense forests would shield them from the long arm of the law. They were indeed very wrong,” he said.
Marwa reiterated the agency’s commitment to pursuing drug traffickers and manufacturers wherever they operate.
“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,” Marwa said.
“We will find you in the cities, we will track you into the forests, and we will dismantle your infrastructure of death.”
He also commended officers who participated in the operation and thanked members of the public for providing information that aided the successful raid.
“To the Nigerian public, we say thank you for your cooperation, for your trust, and credible information. Together, we are securing the future of our nation,” he added.