NDLEA again blows up billions of naira crystal meth labs, drugs in Oyo jungle, arrests Mexicans and others

Agents of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have busted another transnational drug syndicate following the discovery and dismantling of a secret industrial-scale methamphetamine laboratory operated by a Nigerian-Mexican cartel deep in the forests of Tapa Village, Ibarapa North Local Government Area, Oyo State.

This breakthrough comes just four weeks after the Agency dismantled a similar massive crystal meth lab in a forest in Ijebu East, Ogun State.

Speaking on the developments at the NDLEA Headquarters in Abuja, the Chairman/Chief Executive of the Agency, Brig. General Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd) who was represented by the Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi at a press conference on Wednesday, commended the officers involved in the operation.

According to him, “On Wednesday, June 17, 2026, NDLEA tactical operatives raided a heavily guarded secret industrial scale methamphetamine laboratory operating deep in the forests of Tapa Village, Ibarapa North Local Government Area, Oyo State.

“This was not a rudimentary setup; this was a highly organized and sophisticated transnational syndicate. During the raid, our agents managed to arrest five key members of the cartel on site. They included a 56-year-old Mexican Methamphetamine expert, Jose Villa Ochoa, who was brought in specifically to provide technical expertise for large-scale synthesis and four Nigerian collaborators who provided logistics, protection and local operations support. They were: Maxwell Uche Nevoh, 30; Olatunji Yusuf, 37; Bankole Akeem Owolabi, 45; and ⁠Ganiu Monsiu, 43.

READ ALSO: Despite documented speeches, Onanuga insists Tinubu never told Nigerians to fire him if he fails to improve electricity supply

“The arrest of foreign cartel specialists on Nigerian soil underscores the transnational nature of this threat, but more importantly, it underscores our Agency’s world-class intelligence capabilities to track, intercept and neutralize them. Following the successful raid, a special team from our Forensic and Chemical Surveillance Directorate moved in on June 18, 2026, to conduct a rigorous forensic examination of the facility. What they discovered was a large volume poison production line at the factory level.

“The laboratory was filled with a daunting array of precursor chemicals, industrial catalysts and heavy-duty processing equipment. The chemicals and Ingredients obtained included: Phenyl-2-propanone (P2P), which is the highly controlled primary precursor required for the synthesis of methamphetamine; 1800 liter drums containing Phenylacetic acid (the primary precursor used to synthesize P2P); Two 180L drums contained a staggering 300 liters of the whitish crystalline substance; Four 180L drums contain the dark liquid being synthesized.

Others include: 101 bags (25kg each) Caustic Soda; 17 containers (25L each) Sulfuric Acid; 19.5 containers (25kg each) Tartaric Acid; 5 containers of Reniso Ultracool 68 (three 50L capacities and two 25L capacities; 25 bottles (500ml each) of Thioglycolic Acid 80%; 2 containers (25L each) of Ethyl Phenylacetate, and 25 aluminum foil cartons.

“Industrial Processing Equipment found at the site includes: One (1) Reactor Pot, which is the heart of the chemical synthesis; Two (2) installed distillation units and three (3) custom mixers and condensers; as well as Two (2) vegetable dehydrator machines used to rapidly dry the crystals.”