NDLEA Dismantles Oyo Forest Meth Lab, Arrests Five

In a major operation against transnational drug trafficking, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency has dismantled a large-scale methamphetamine laboratory hidden deep within a forest in Oyo State, arresting five suspects including a Mexican national. The agency announced the discovery on Wednesday, June 24, 2026, describing it as a sophisticated industrial facility capable of producing massive quantities of the illicit synthetic drug.

The raid was conducted on June 17 at a clandestine site in Tapa Village, Ibarapa North Local Government Area. NDLEA tactical operatives, acting on intelligence, stormed the fortified location and arrested the suspects on-site. The individuals taken into custody were identified as 56-year-old Mexican national Jose Villa Ochoa, and four Nigerians: Maxwell Uche Nevoh, 30; Olatunji Yusuf, 37; Bankole Akeem Owolabi, 45; and Ganiu Monsiu, 43.

NDLEA Chairman Brigadier General Mohamed Buba Marwa, represented by the agency's Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, stated that Ochoa was allegedly recruited for his technical expertise in methamphetamine synthesis, while the Nigerian suspects handled local logistics and operations. Marwa emphasized...