The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has uncovered another industrial-scale methamphetamine laboratory hidden inside a forest in Oyo State, barely four weeks after dismantling a similar facility in neighbouring Ogun State.
The developments raise fresh concerns about attempts by transnational drug cartels to establish South-west Nigeria as a synthetic drug manufacturing hub.
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According to the agency, five suspects, including a Mexican national described as a methamphetamine production expert, were arrested during the operation conducted in Tapa Village, Ibarapa North Local Government Area of Oyo State.
The latest discovery comes weeks after NDLEA operatives uncovered a large clandestine meth laboratory in a forest in Ijebu East Local Government Area of Ogun State, a development the agency says points to a growing pattern among drug trafficking networks seeking to evade detection by relocating operations into remote forests.
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Methamphetamine is a highly addictive synthetic stimulant associated with severe health complications, including psychosis, cardiovascular diseases and neurological disorders.
Speaking at a press briefing in Abuja on Wednesday, NDLEA Chairman, Mohamed Marwa, represented by the agency’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, described the Oyo facility as a highly sophisticated industrial-scale operation.
“This was not a rudimentary setup; it was a sophisticated, highly organised transnational syndicate,” Mr Marwa said.
According to the agency, operatives stormed the facility on 17 June following intelligence gathering and surveillance.
Among those arrested was 56-year-old Jose Villa Ochoa, a Mexican national allegedly recruited to provide technical expertise for the large-scale production of methamphetamine. Others arrested were identified as Maxwell Uche Nevoh, 30; Olatunji Yusuf, 37; Bankole Akeem Owolabi, 45; and Ganiu Monsiu, 43.
Mr Marwa said the presence of a foreign methamphetamine specialist highlights the international dimension of the criminal operation.
“The arrest of a foreign cartel specialist on Nigerian soil underscores the transnational nature of this threat,” he said.
Recoveries
Following the raid, NDLEA forensic and chemical monitoring experts conducted an extensive examination of the facility and recovered large quantities of precursor chemicals, industrial catalysts and processing equipment used in the manufacture of methamphetamine.
Among the substances recovered were drums containing phenylacetic acid, phenyl-2-propanone (P2P), sulphuric acid, caustic soda and other chemicals commonly used in methamphetamine synthesis. The agency also recovered reactor pots, distillation units, condensers, mixers and drying machines used in the production process.
According to NDLEA, preliminary field tests confirmed the presence of methamphetamine and other precursor substances at the site. Mr Marwa described the operation as a “factory-level production line” capable of producing huge quantities of illicit drugs.
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“This is yet another multibillion-naira worth of illicit substances and production equipment ready to push millions of doses of synthetic drugs into our streets, communities and the international community but for the vigilance of our dedicated officers,” he said.
South-west becoming preferred hub
The agency warned that the discovery of two large methamphetamine laboratories within a month suggests an emerging trend by drug cartels to establish production centres in the South-west.
According to Mr Marwa, criminal syndicates may have believed that locating laboratories in remote forest locations would help them avoid detection.
“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,” he said.
“They thought hiding in dense forests would shield them from the long arm of the law. They were wrong.”
Nigeria has increasingly become a target for international drug trafficking organisations involved in the production and export of synthetic drugs, prompting intensified enforcement efforts by NDLEA in recent years.
The agency said all exhibits recovered from the Oyo laboratory had been documented and preserved as evidence for prosecution.
Mr Marwa commended officers involved in the operation and urged members of the public to continue providing credible intelligence to assist anti-narcotics efforts.
“We will find you in the cities, we will track you into the forests, and we will dismantle your infrastructure of death,” he warned.
