The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has uncovered and dismantled a sophisticated methamphetamine production laboratory hidden deep inside a forest in Oyo State, arresting a Mexican national and four Nigerians allegedly linked to an international drug syndicate.
The discovery, described as one of the agency’s most significant anti-drug operations in recent times, was made on June 17, 2026, during a special raid by NDLEA tactical operatives at Tapa Village in Ibarapa North Local Government Area of Oyo State.
According to a statement issued by the agency’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, the clandestine facility was allegedly operated by a transnational drug cartel with the capacity for large-scale methamphetamine production.
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the NDLEA, Brigadier-General Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), described the laboratory as a highly fortified and sophisticated operation designed to conceal illegal drug manufacturing activities from security agencies.
Five suspected members of the syndicate were arrested during the operation, including Jose Villa Ochoa, a 56-year-old Mexican national allegedly brought into Nigeria to provide technical expertise for methamphetamine production.
The other suspects arrested were identified as Maxwell Uche Nevoh, 30; Olatunji Yusuf, 37; Bankole Akeem Owolabi, 45; and Ganiu Monsiu, 43.
Marwa said the arrest of the foreign suspect underscores the growing transnational dimension of illicit drug production and trafficking in Nigeria, with international criminal networks increasingly seeking to establish local manufacturing bases.
“The facility was a highly fortified and sophisticated clandestine methamphetamine laboratory operated by a transnational drug cartel,” he stated.
Following the raid, officials from the agency’s Directorate of Forensic and Chemical Monitoring visited the site on June 18 to conduct detailed forensic examinations and gather evidence for ongoing investigations.
The NDLEA said investigations are continuing to uncover the full extent of the syndicate’s operations, identify other members of the network, and determine possible local and international connections linked to the illegal drug factory.
