By Oluwakemi Kindness
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has dismantled a massive industrial-scale methamphetamine laboratory hidden deep inside a forest in Oyo State, arresting a Mexican drug expert and four Nigerian accomplices in what authorities describe as a major blow to an international drug cartel.
The operation, it said took place in Tapa Village, Ibarapa North Local Government Area, where NDLEA operatives uncovered a sophisticated meth production facility capable of supplying millions of doses of illicit drugs.
Among those arrested was 56-year-old Mexican national, Jose Villa Ochoa, who investigators say was brought into Nigeria to provide technical expertise for large-scale methamphetamine production.
Four Nigerians, Maxwell Uche Nevoh, Olatunji Yusuf, Bankole Akeem Owolabi and Ganiu Monsiu, were also apprehended during the raid.
NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brigadier General Mohamed Buba-Marwa (Rtd), disclosed this development in Abuja on Wednesday through the Agency’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi.
Marwa said the June 17 operation targeted a heavily fortified laboratory operated by a Nigerian-Mexican drug syndicate, adding that the arrest of a foreign methamphetamine specialist highlights the growing transnational nature of the drug trade.
Following the raid, forensic experts conducted a detailed examination of the facility and uncovered what Marwa described as a factory-level production line for synthetic drugs.
The agency recovered large quantities of precursor chemicals used in meth production, including drums of Phenylacetic Acid, Phenyl-2-Propanone (P2P), Sulphuric Acid, Caustic Soda, Tartaric Acid and other industrial substances. Officers also seized reactor pots, distillation units, mixers, condensers and drying machines used in the manufacturing process.
Field tests confirmed that samples recovered from the laboratory contained methamphetamine, while other substances tested positive for key precursor chemicals used in drug synthesis.
NDLEA said the seized chemicals, finished products and production equipment are worth several billions of naira and could have produced millions of doses of methamphetamine for distribution within Nigeria and beyond.
The discovery comes barely four weeks after the agency dismantled another large clandestine meth laboratory hidden in a forest in Ijebu East, Ogun State.
Marwa warned that drug cartels are attempting to establish the South-West as a hub for synthetic drug production but vowed that the agency would continue to dismantle their operations.
“Let the message go out clearly to all drug cartels, domestic and international: 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,” he said.
The NDLEA boss commended officers of the Oyo State Command for their professionalism and courage during the operation and thanked members of the public for providing intelligence that supports the agency’s fight against drug trafficking.
