Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, have dismantled a fortified industrial-scale methamphetamine laboratory run by a Nigerian-Mexican cartel in Tapa Village, Ibarapa North LGA, Oyo State. The raid on Wednesday, June 17, 2026 led to the arrest of five suspects on-site, including 56-year-old Mexican meth expert Jose Villa Ochoa, allegedly brought in for large-scale synthesis. Four Nigerian collaborators arrested are Maxwell Uche Nevoh, 30; Olatunji Yusuf, 37; Bankole Akeem Owolabi, 45; and Ganiu Monsiu, 43. The bust comes barely four weeks after NDLEA destroyed a similar mega lab in Ijebu East, Ogun State, raising concerns about a push to turn the Southwest into a synthetic drug manufacturing zone.
Speaking at NDLEA Headquarters in Abuja on Tuesday, June 24, 2026, Director of Media and Advocacy Femi Babafemi, representing Chairman Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), described the facility as a sophisticated transnational operation. Forensic officers who entered on June 18 found a factory-level setup stocked with Phenyl-2-propanone, 1800-litre drums of Phenylacetic acid, 300 litres of whitish crystalline substance, four drums of dark liquid undergoing synthesis, 101 bags of caustic soda, sulphuric and tartaric acid, and other chemicals. Equipment recovered included a reactor pot, two distillation units, mixers, condensers, and vegetable dehydrators for drying crystals. Field tests confirmed the crystals were methamphetamine. All exhibits have been documented for prosecution.
Marwa warned drug cartels that Nigeria remains hostile territory. “We will find you in the cities, we will track you into the forests, and we will dismantle your infrastructure of death. They thought hiding in dense forests would shield them from the law. They were wrong,” he said. He commended NDLEA Oyo Command officers for their professionalism and urged the public to keep providing credible intelligence to help secure the nation.
