The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has raided a methamphetamine laboratory in a forest in Oyo State and arrested five suspects, including a Mexican national accused of providing technical expertise for the operation.
NDLEA Chairman, Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (retd.) disclosed this on Wednesday during a press briefing in Abuja.
He said the laboratory was uncovered in Tapa Village, Ibarapa North Local Government Area of Oyo State, during an intelligence-led operation on June 17.
He said the facility was a highly organised operation run by a transnational drug syndicate.
“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,” Marwa said.
“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 NDLEA chairman identified the suspects as Jose Villa Ochoa, 56, a Mexican national described as a methamphetamine expert, and four Nigerians: Maxwell Nevoh, 30; Olatunji Yusuf, 37; Bankole Owolabi, 45; and Ganiu Monsiu, 43.
Marwa said the suspects were not operating a small facility but an industrial-scale drug production site equipped with chemicals and heavy machinery.
Forensic experts deployed to the scene recovered precursor chemicals and equipment used in methamphetamine production, including drums of chemicals, industrial mixers, distillation units and a reactor pot.
He said the recovered materials included phenyl-2-propanone, phenylacetic acid, suspected methamphetamine crystals, caustic soda, sulphuric acid and other chemical compounds.
“The laboratory was fully stocked with a frightening array of precursor chemicals, industrial catalysts, and heavy-duty processing equipment,” Marwa said.
He added that field tests conducted on samples recovered from the site confirmed the presence of methamphetamine.
“Samples of the finished crystals recovered yielded a definitive positive result for methamphetamine,” he said.
Marwa said all recovered substances had been evacuated, documented and preserved as evidence for prosecution.
The NDLEA chairman described the operation as a major setback for drug syndicates seeking to establish synthetic drug production facilities in Nigeria.
“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 said the arrest of a foreign specialist indicated the international nature of the operation and praised NDLEA officers for tracking the network.
Marwa recalled that the agency had, four weeks earlier, dismantled another methamphetamine laboratory in the Ijebu area of Ogun State, where more than 2.4 tonnes of methamphetamine were seized and seven suspects, including three Mexicans, were arrested.
He said the latest discovery showed an attempt by drug syndicates to establish synthetic drug production hubs in the South-West.
“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 warned local and foreign drug cartels that the agency would continue to track their operations.
“We will find you in the cities, we will track you into the forests, and we will dismantle your infrastructure of death,” he said.
He commended NDLEA officers in Oyo State and members of the public whose intelligence led to the operation.
