NDLEA Busts Nigerian-Mexican Meth Cartel, Dismantles Industrial Drug Laboratory in Oyo Forest

Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have recorded a major breakthrough in the fight against transnational drug trafficking with the discovery and dismantling of a fortified industrial-scale methamphetamine laboratory hidden deep inside a forest in Tapa Village, Ibarapa North Local Government Area of Oyo State.

The operation, which led to the arrest of five suspected cartel members including a Mexican national, marks another significant victory for the anti-narcotics agency and comes barely four weeks after a similar clandestine methamphetamine laboratory was uncovered in a forest in Ijebu East, Ogun State.

Speaking at a press briefing at the NDLEA Headquarters in Abuja on Wednesday, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Agency, Brigadier General Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), represented by the Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, described the operation as a major disruption of an emerging synthetic drug manufacturing network in Southwest Nigeria.

According to NDLEA, tactical operatives stormed the forest location on June 17, 2026, following intelligence gathering that uncovered the existence of the hidden laboratory.

Marwa disclosed that the facility was not a crude setup but a highly organised industrial production site operated by a transnational syndicate.

During the operation, officers arrested a 56-year-old Mexican national identified as Jose Villa Ochoa, described as a methamphetamine production specialist allegedly brought into Nigeria to provide technical expertise for large-scale drug synthesis.

Four Nigerian suspects were also arrested at the scene. They were identified as Maxwell Uche Nevoh, 30; Olatunji Yusuf, 37; Bankole Akeem Owolabi, 45; and Ganiu Monsiu, 43.

The NDLEA said the arrests highlighted the growing international dimension of synthetic drug production activities in Nigeria.

Following the raid, forensic and chemical monitoring teams moved into the facility on June 18 to conduct detailed analysis of the site and preserve evidence for prosecution.

Investigators reportedly uncovered a fully equipped production line containing precursor chemicals, industrial catalysts and sophisticated processing equipment used for methamphetamine synthesis.

Recovered materials included large volumes of Phenyl-2-propanone (P2P), Phenylacetic acid, caustic soda, sulphuric acid, tartaric acid, Ethyl Phenylacetate, Thioglycolic Acid and industrial cooling chemicals.

The agency also recovered a reactor pot, mounted distillation units, fabricated mixers and condensers, vegetable dehydrator machines and multiple drums containing chemical mixtures undergoing synthesis.

According to NDLEA, field tests conducted on substances recovered from the site confirmed positive results for methamphetamine and other precursor compounds.

Marwa said the quantity of materials recovered represented multibillion-naira worth of illicit substances and equipment capable of producing millions of doses of dangerous synthetic drugs.

He warned that criminal networks were attempting to transform the Southwest into a hub for synthetic drug manufacturing but vowed that the agency would continue to dismantle such operations.

“The message is clear: Nigeria will not become a safe haven for drug cartels. We will find them in the cities, track them into forests, and dismantle their infrastructure,” he said.

The NDLEA Chairman commended officers of the Oyo State Command for their professionalism and thanked members of the public for providing intelligence that aided the operation.

He also urged Nigerians to continue supporting anti-drug efforts as the agency intensifies its campaign against organised narcotics syndicates nationwide.