Multi-billion-naira worth of illicit substances, precursor chemicals and industrial drug production equipment have been recovered by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency.
The recovery followed the dismantling of a fortified industrial-scale clandestine methamphetamine laboratory hidden deep inside a forest in Tapa Village, Ibarapa North Local Government Area of Oyo State.
The operation also led to the arrest of five suspects, including a 56-year-old Mexican methamphetamine expert and four Nigerians believed to be linked to the drug cartel.
The breakthrough comes barely four weeks after the NDLEA dismantled another massive methamphetamine laboratory hidden inside a forest in Ogun State, heightening concerns over what the NDLEA describes as attempts by drug cartels to turn Nigeria’s southwest into a synthetic drug manufacturing hub.
Speaking at the NDLEA headquarters in Abuja, Chairman of the agency, retired Brigadier General Buba Marwa, represented by the Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, commended the gallantry, dedication and professionalism of officers involved in the operation.
According to the Anti-narcotics agency, tactical operatives stormed the highly fortified industrial-scale clandestine methamphetamine laboratory on Wednesday, June 17, 2026.
During the raid, five suspected key members of the cartel were arrested on site.
They include 56-year-old Mexican methamphetamine expert, Jose Villa Ochoa, who was allegedly brought into Nigeria to provide technical expertise for large-scale methamphetamine synthesis.
The four Nigerian suspects arrested are Maxwell Uche Nevoh, 30; Olatunji Yusuf, 37; Bankole Akeem Owolabi, 45; and Ganiu Monsiu, 43.
NDLEA says the arrest of a foreign cartel specialist on Nigerian soil highlights the transnational nature of the drug trafficking threat and reflects the agency’s intelligence capability to track and dismantle criminal networks.
Following the raid, a specialized team from NDLEA’s Directorate of Forensic and Chemical Monitoring moved into the facility on June 18 to conduct a forensic examination.
The agency says what was uncovered was a factory-level methamphetamine production line stocked with precursor chemicals, industrial catalysts and heavy-duty processing equipment.
Recovered chemicals include Phenyl-2-propanone, known as P2P, identified as the major controlled precursor required for methamphetamine synthesis.
Also recovered were 1,800-litre drums containing Phenylacetic acid used in synthesizing P2P, two 180-litre drums containing 300 litres of whitish crystalline substance, and four 180-litre drums containing dark liquid undergoing synthesis.
Other items recovered include 101 bags of 25 kilograms each of Caustic Soda, 17 containers of 25 litres each of Sulphuric Acid, 19 and a half containers of 25 kilograms each of Tartaric Acid, five containers of Reniso Ultracool 68, 25 bottles of 80 percent Thioglycolic Acid, two containers of Ethyl Phenylacetate, and 25 cartons of aluminum foil.
Industrial processing equipment recovered include one reactor pot described as the heart of the chemical synthesis operation, two mounted distillation units, three fabricated mixers and condensers, as well as two vegetable dehydrator machines used for rapid drying of methamphetamine crystals.
NDLEA says immediate field tests conducted by forensic experts confirmed that samples of finished crystals recovered from the site tested positive for methamphetamine.
The crystalline substance recovered from one of the drums also tested positive for Phenylacetic acid.
The agency says all exhibits have been safely evacuated, documented and preserved for evidential presentation in court.
The NDLEA says the latest discovery points to a desperate attempt by drug cartels to establish a synthetic drug production hub in Nigeria’s southwest region, warning that criminal networks hiding in cities or forests will continue to be tracked and dismantled.