By Mercy Peter
A Mexican national allegedly recruited to oversee large scale methamphetamine production has been arrested in Nigeria after operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) uncovered a sophisticated clandestine drug laboratory hidden in a forest in Oyo State.
The arrest, alongside four Nigerian accomplices, has heightened concerns over the growing involvement of international drug cartels in Nigeria’s illicit drug trade and what authorities describe as an emerging attempt to establish the Southwest as a hub for synthetic drug manufacturing.
Speaking at a briefing in Abuja on Wednesday, NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), said the discovery of the industrial-scale methamphetamine facility in Tapa Village, Ibarapa North Local Government Area, represented a major disruption of a transnational criminal operation.
Marwa, who was represented by the agency’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, disclosed that the laboratory was uncovered during a tactical operation conducted on June 17 by NDLEA operatives following weeks of intelligence gathering.
Among those arrested was 56-year-old Mexican citizen Jose Villa Ochoa, described by the agency as a methamphetamine production specialist brought into the country to provide technical expertise for the operation.
The other suspects arrested were identified as Maxwell Uche Nevoh, 30; Olatunji Yusuf, 37; Bankole Akeem Owolabi, 45; and Ganiu Monsiu, 43.
According to the NDLEA, the operation revealed an unusually sophisticated drug production facility concealed within a remote forest location and equipped with industrial-scale manufacturing infrastructure.
“The arrest of a foreign cartel specialist on Nigerian soil underscores the transnational nature of this threat,” Marwa said. “More importantly, it demonstrates our ability to identify, track and dismantle criminal networks regardless of where they operate.”
The Oyo discovery comes less than a month after the NDLEA dismantled another large clandestine methamphetamine laboratory located in a forest in Ogun State, a development the agency says points to a coordinated effort by drug syndicates to relocate production facilities to isolated locations in the Southwest.
Investigations conducted by forensic experts who examined the Oyo facility uncovered substantial quantities of precursor chemicals and manufacturing materials used in methamphetamine production.
Among the substances recovered were large volumes of Phenyl-2-propanone (P2P), a highly controlled chemical essential to methamphetamine synthesis, as well as drums containing phenylacetic acid and other compounds at different stages of processing.
Officials also recovered more than 100 bags of caustic soda, sulphuric acid, tartaric acid, thioglycolic acid, ethyl phenylacetate and several other industrial chemicals used in the production process.
In addition to the chemical stockpile, investigators discovered specialized manufacturing equipment, including a reactor pot, distillation units, condensers, mixers and industrial dehydrators capable of supporting large-scale drug production.
Field tests conducted by NDLEA forensic specialists confirmed that samples recovered from the facility tested positive for methamphetamine, indicating that the laboratory was actively engaged in producing the illicit stimulant.
The agency estimated that the seized chemicals, finished products and production infrastructure were worth several billions of naira and could have generated millions of doses for distribution within Nigeria and across international markets.
Marwa warned that the discoveries in both Oyo and Ogun states suggest an emerging trend in which drug traffickers are seeking refuge in remote forest communities to evade law enforcement agencies.
“The discovery of two major methamphetamine laboratories within weeks of each other reveals a deliberate effort to establish a synthetic drug manufacturing base in the Southwest,” he said.
He vowed that the NDLEA would intensify efforts to dismantle such operations and pursue those behind them.
“Drug cartels must understand that Nigeria will never be a safe haven for their activities. Whether they operate in urban centres or remote forests, we will find them and destroy their infrastructure,” he said.
The NDLEA boss commended officers involved in the operation for their professionalism and courage and also acknowledged the role of intelligence provided by members of the public.