Fidelia Soriwei, Abuja
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency has uncovered a large-scale methamphetamine production facility hidden in a forest in Oyo State and arrested five suspects, including a Mexican national allegedly brought into Nigeria to provide technical expertise for the operation.
The agency said the clandestine laboratory was discovered during a raid on June 17 in Tapa Village, Ibarapa North Local Government Area, following intelligence gathered by its operatives.
Speaking in Abuja on Wednesday, the NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (retd.), described the operation as a major breakthrough in the fight against organised drug trafficking networks.
“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.
“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,” he said.
Marwa, who was represented by the agency’s spokesman, Femi Babafemi, identified the suspects as Mexican national Jose Villa Ochoa, 56, and four Nigerians, Maxwell Nevoh, 30; Olatunji Yusuf, 37; Bankole Owolabi, 45; and Ganiu Monsiu, 43.
According to him, investigators recovered large quantities of precursor chemicals and industrial equipment used in the manufacture of methamphetamine. He said preliminary forensic analysis confirmed the presence of the illicit drug at the facility.
“The arrest of a foreign cartel specialist on Nigerian soil underscores the transnational nature of this threat, but more importantly, it underscores our agency’s world-class intelligence capability to track, intercept and neutralise them,” Marwa stated.
He said the seizure prevented a significant quantity of synthetic drugs from reaching communities and international markets, adding that the agency would continue to target drug production and trafficking networks across the country.
The NDLEA boss noted that the latest discovery came weeks after another industrial-scale methamphetamine laboratory was dismantled in a forested area of Ogun State, where several foreign and Nigerian suspects were also arrested.
Warning criminal groups against using Nigeria as a base for drug manufacturing, Marwa said, “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.
“We will find you in the cities, we will track you into the forests, and we will dismantle your infrastructure of death.”
He commended officers involved in the operation and thanked members of the public for providing information that aided the successful raid.
“To the Nigerian public, we say thank you for your cooperation, for your trust, and credible information. Together, we are securing the future of our nation,” he added.
