A major drug factory hidden in Tapa Village forest, Ibarapa North Local Government, Oyo State, has been destroyed by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency. The raid on Wednesday, June 17, 2026 marked NDLEA’s second large meth lab dismantled in under a month, after a similar facility was uncovered in Ijebu East, Ogun State about four weeks earlier, according to a report by Daily Trust.
Addressing reporters in Abuja on Wednesday, NDLEA Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, who spoke for Chairman Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa Rtd, said tactical operatives attacked a heavily guarded, factory-style lab run by an international drug network. Five suspects were arrested at the site: 56-year-old Mexican meth expert Jose Villa Ochoa, brought in for large-scale production, and four Nigerians handling logistics and local operations Maxwell Uche Nevoh, 30; Olatunji Yusuf, 37; Bankole Akeem Owolabi, 45; and Ganiu Monsiu, 43.
Babafemi said the arrest of a foreign specialist shows the growing international reach of the trade but also proves NDLEA’s intelligence capacity. On June 18, forensic officers inspected the facility and found a full production line with dangerous chemicals and industrial equipment. Recovered items include Phenyl-2-propanone, the main chemical for meth, 1,800-litre drums of Phenylacetic acid used to make it, two 180-litre drums with about 300 litres of white crystal substance, four 180-litre drums of dark liquid mid-production, 101 bags of Caustic Soda, 17 containers of Sulphuric Acid, 19.5 containers of Tartaric Acid, five containers of Reniso Ultracool 68, 25 bottles of 80% Thioglycolic Acid, two containers of Ethyl Phenylacetate and 25 cartons of aluminum foil. Equipment found included one reactor pot, two distillation units, three mixers and condensers, and two vegetable dehydrators for drying crystals.
Field tests confirmed the crystals were methamphetamine and the liquid was Phenylacetic acid. All evidence has been documented for court. Babafemi said the lab could have produced drugs worth billions of naira and millions of doses for Nigerian streets and export markets. He noted the Oyo discovery’s closeness to the Ogun lab shows cartels are trying to build a synthetic drug hub in the Southwest, wrongly believing forests would shield them.
“To all drug cartels, local and international, Nigeria is not and will never be safe for your trade. We will find you in cities, track you into forests, and dismantle your death factories,” Marwa warned through Babafemi. He also thanked the public for tips that help secure the country. The five suspects remain in custody for prosecution.