A major drug manufacturing operation has been dismantled in Oyo State after the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) uncovered what it described as an industrial-scale methamphetamine laboratory hidden deep inside a forest.

According to reporting by the clandestine facility was discovered on June 17 during a raid by NDLEA tactical operatives in Tapa village, Ibarapa North Local Government Area.

NDLEA Chairman Buba Marwa said five suspects were arrested, including a Mexican national allegedly brought into Nigeria to provide technical expertise for methamphetamine production.

The suspects were identified as 56-year-old Jose Villa Ochoa and four Nigerians: Maxwell Uche Nevoh, Olatunji Yusuf, Bankole Akeem Owolabi and Ganiu Monsiu.

Represented at a press briefing in Abuja by Femi Babafemi, Marwa described the operation as a sophisticated transnational drug syndicate attempting to establish a synthetic drug manufacturing base in South-West Nigeria.

He said the laboratory contained factory-scale production equipment and large quantities of precursor chemicals used in methamphetamine synthesis.

Among the materials recovered were drums of phenylacetic acid, phenyl-2-propanone (P2P), sulphuric acid, caustic soda, tartaric acid and other chemical substances. NDLEA also recovered reactor pots, distillation units, mixers, condensers and drying machines used in the production process.

Marwa said forensic experts confirmed the presence of methamphetamine in substances seized from the site. He added that all exhibits had been secured and documented for use in court proceedings.

The NDLEA chairman noted that the latest discovery came less than a month after another methamphetamine laboratory was dismantled in the South-West, suggesting an effort by criminal networks to create a regional synthetic drug production corridor.

He warned both local and international drug cartels that the agency would continue targeting illegal drug operations across the country.

Marwa also commended officers of the NDLEA Oyo State Command for their role in the operation and urged members of the public to continue providing credible intelligence to support anti-drug enforcement efforts.