●Multi-Billion-Naira Drug Factory Dismantled as Agency Warns Cartels: “We Will Find You Anywhere”
Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have recorded another major breakthrough in Nigeria’s war against illicit drugs with the discovery and dismantling of a fortified industrial-scale methamphetamine laboratory hidden deep inside a forest in Oyo State.
The clandestine facility, located in Tapa Village, Ibarapa North Local Government Area of Oyo State, was allegedly operated by a transnational Nigerian-Mexican drug syndicate and represents the second major methamphetamine production centre uncovered by the Agency in the South-West within a month. The latest operation has heightened concerns among security experts over attempts by international drug cartels to establish Nigeria as a regional hub for synthetic drug production.
Announcing the breakthrough at the NDLEA National 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 significant blow to organised transnational crime.
According to Marwa, tactical operatives acting on intelligence stormed the highly fortified facility on June 17, 2026, leading to the arrest of five suspected members of the cartel.
Among those arrested was 56-year-old Mexican national Jose Villa Ochoa, identified by the Agency as a methamphetamine production specialist allegedly recruited to provide technical expertise for large-scale drug synthesis. Four Nigerian collaborators were also apprehended during the raid. They were identified as Maxwell Uche Nevoh, 30; Olatunji Yusuf, 37; Bankole Akeem Owolabi, 45; and Ganiu Monsiu, 43.
“This was not a rudimentary setup,” Marwa said. “It was a sophisticated, highly organised transnational syndicate operating a factory-level production line capable of flooding communities with dangerous synthetic drugs.”
Following the arrests, a specialised team from the NDLEA Directorate of Forensic and Chemical Monitoring conducted a detailed forensic assessment of the facility on June 18.
The investigation uncovered a vast inventory of precursor chemicals, industrial catalysts, processing equipment and substances at various stages of methamphetamine production.
Recovered materials included:
●Phenyl-2-Propanone (P2P), a highly controlled precursor used in methamphetamine synthesis;
●Multiple industrial drums containing Phenylacetic Acid;
●Hundreds of litres of crystalline substances and chemical mixtures undergoing processing;
●More than 100 bags of caustic soda;
Sulphuric acid, tartaric acid and thioglycolic acid;
●Ethyl phenylacetate and other industrial chemicals;
●Large quantities of aluminium foil and processing materials.
The laboratory also contained sophisticated manufacturing equipment including a reactor pot, mounted distillation systems, condensers, fabricated mixers and industrial dehydrators used in crystal processing.
According to NDLEA forensic experts, field tests conducted at the scene confirmed that samples recovered from the facility tested positive for methamphetamine. All exhibits have since been evacuated and preserved as evidence for prosecution.
Oyo Discovery Follows Record-Breaking Ogun Meth Lab Bust
The latest discovery comes barely four weeks after the NDLEA dismantled what it described as the largest clandestine methamphetamine laboratory ever uncovered in Nigeria.
That operation, carried out in May 2026, exposed a sophisticated Nigerian-Mexican drug syndicate operating from a hidden facility in Abidagba Forest, Ijebu East Local Government Area of Ogun State. The Agency arrested ten suspects, including three Mexican nationals and an alleged cartel leader, while recovering more than 2.4 tonnes of methamphetamine and precursor chemicals valued at approximately ₦480 billion.
The emergence of two major methamphetamine factories linked to foreign specialists within weeks, it was gathered, points to a worrying shift in criminal operations across West Africa.
For years, Nigeria and neighbouring countries have primarily served as transit routes for narcotics moving from Latin America to Europe. However, the recent discoveries suggest that international drug organisations may now be investing directly in local production facilities to manufacture synthetic drugs closer to emerging markets and trafficking corridors.
Rising Threat of Transnational Drug Syndicates
The arrest of foreign methamphetamine experts in both the Ogun and Oyo operations underscores the growing international dimension of organised drug crime in Nigeria.
According to NDLEA officials, cartels are increasingly importing foreign “cooks” and chemical specialists to establish sophisticated production centres in remote locations where they believe they can evade law enforcement.
The forested terrain of the South-West appears to have become a preferred hideout for such criminal networks due to its vast, difficult-to-monitor landscape. However, the Agency insists that advances in intelligence gathering, surveillance and inter-agency cooperation are making it increasingly difficult for syndicates to operate undetected.
Reacting to the latest seizure, Marwa warned both local and foreign drug traffickers that Nigeria would not become a safe haven for narcotics production.
“Let the message go out clearly to all drug cartels, domestic and international, that Nigeria is not, and will never be, a safe haven for your illicit trade,” he said.
“We will find you in the cities, we will track you into the forests, and we will dismantle your infrastructure of death. They thought hiding in dense forests would shield them from the long arm of the law. They were wrong.”
The NDLEA Chairman commended officers of the Oyo State Command and specialised forensic teams involved in the operation, describing their actions as an example of professionalism, courage and commitment to national security.
He also appealed to members of the public to continue providing credible intelligence, stressing that community cooperation remains critical to disrupting organised criminal networks.
Public Health and Security Implications
Methamphetamine, commonly known as “meth,” is a highly addictive synthetic stimulant associated with severe physical and psychological health consequences. Experts warn that widespread availability of the drug can fuel violent crime, addiction crises, mental health disorders and broader social instability.
Rhe dismantling of successive industrial-scale laboratories in Ogun and Oyo states, it was learnt, may have prevented millions of doses of methamphetamine from reaching domestic and international markets.
With investigations ongoing, the NDLEA says additional arrests and prosecutions are expected as authorities work to identify the full network behind the operation and any local or international collaborators.
For now, the latest bust stands as one of the most significant anti-narcotics operations of 2026 and a further indication of the intensified campaign against transnational organised crime.
______
More Reports:
COMPLIMENTS.
Please read trending reports on Everyday.ng
Senate Passes State Police Bill in Landmark Security Reform Push, Awaits NASS Harmonisation, 24 State Houses Concurrence
Senate Passes State Police Bill in Landmark Security Reform Push
US Jails Anambra Council Chairman for Five Years Over $3.5 Million Romance Scam
US Jails Anambra Council Chairman for Five Years Over $3.5 Million Romance Scam
Echoes of Trauma: The love we deny ourselves: Must I earn the right to matter?
Echoes of Trauma: The love we deny ourselves: Must I earn the right to matter?
For comments, adverts, releases, please reach us on:
Twitter on: @Everyday_ng;
E-mail: info@everyday.ng
Telephone, WhatsApp & Telegram: +234 802 2198060.
Contact Address: Back Suite, Off Umaru Musa Yar’Adua Way, Kukwaba District, Abuja.
God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.