The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has uncovered a multi-billion-naira clandestine methamphetamine laboratory hidden in a forest in Oyo State and arrested five suspects, including a Mexican national allegedly brought into Nigeria to provide technical expertise for the illegal operation.
Speaking at a press briefing in Abuja on Wednesday, NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), described the operation as a major breakthrough in the agency’s sustained offensive against drug trafficking and production networks.
Represented by the agency’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, Marwa said the laboratory was discovered deep inside a forest at Tapa Village in Ibarapa North Local Government Area of Oyo State following credible intelligence. NDLEA operatives stormed the facility on June 17 and dismantled what he described as a sophisticated industrial-scale methamphetamine production centre operated by a transnational drug syndicate.
The suspects arrested during the operation include a 56-year-old Mexican national, Jose Villa Ochoa, identified as a methamphetamine production expert, alongside four Nigerians: Maxwell Nevoh, 30; Olatunji Yusuf, 37; Bankole Owolabi, 45; and Ganiu Monsiu, 43.
According to Marwa, the arrest of the foreign suspect highlights the international dimension of the illicit drug trade and demonstrates the agency’s growing intelligence and operational capabilities.
Following the raid, NDLEA forensic experts examined the site and uncovered what officials described as a factory-scale methamphetamine production line stocked with large quantities of precursor chemicals, industrial catalysts and processing equipment used in the manufacture of synthetic drugs.
Among the items recovered were phenyl-2-propanone (P2P), a highly controlled precursor used in methamphetamine production; 1,800-litre drums containing phenylacetic acid; two 180-litre drums containing about 300 litres of a whitish crystalline substance suspected to be methamphetamine; and four 180-litre drums containing dark liquid undergoing chemical synthesis.
Other chemicals recovered included 101 bags of caustic soda weighing 25 kilograms each, 17 containers of sulphuric acid, 19 and a half containers of tartaric acid, five containers of Reniso Ultracool 68, 25 bottles of 80 per cent thioglycolic acid, two containers of ethyl phenylacetate and 25 cartons of aluminium foil.
The agency also recovered key industrial equipment, including a reactor pot used for chemical synthesis, two mounted distillation units, three fabricated mixers and condensers, and two vegetable dehydrator machines reportedly used to rapidly dry methamphetamine crystals.
Marwa disclosed that field tests conducted on samples recovered from the laboratory confirmed the presence of methamphetamine. He added that all chemicals and exhibits had been safely evacuated, documented and preserved for presentation as evidence during prosecution.
Describing the seizure as another significant blow against drug syndicates, Marwa said the operation prevented millions of doses of dangerous synthetic drugs from reaching Nigerian communities and international markets.
He noted that the discovery came less than a month after NDLEA dismantled another industrial-scale methamphetamine laboratory concealed in a forest in Ogun State, suggesting an attempt by drug cartels to establish a synthetic drug manufacturing hub in the South-West region.
“The proximity of this discovery to the Ogun State laboratory 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, but they were wrong,” he said.
Marwa warned local and international drug cartels against using Nigeria as a base for illicit operations, stressing that the agency would continue to track and dismantle criminal networks wherever they operate.
He commended officers of the NDLEA, particularly personnel of the Oyo State Command, for their professionalism and dedication, while also appreciating members of the public whose intelligence contributed to the success of the operation.
The latest breakthrough follows another major NDLEA operation in the Ijebu area of Ogun State, where operatives recently uncovered an industrial-scale methamphetamine production facility and seized more than 2.4 tonnes of methamphetamine and precursor chemicals. Seven suspects were arrested in that operation, including three Mexican nationals and four Nigerians.