Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have dealt a major blow to transnational drug trafficking networks with the discovery and dismantling of a fortified industrial-scale methamphetamine laboratory operated by a Nigerian-Mexican cartel in Oyo State.
The clandestine facility was uncovered deep inside a forest in Tapa Village, Ibarapa North Local Government Area of the state.
Speaking on the operation on Wednesday in Abuja, NDLEA Chairman, retired Brig.-Gen. Buba Marwa commended the bravery, professionalism, and dedication of the officers involved in the raid.
Represented by the agency’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Mr. Femi Babafemi, Marwa said the breakthrough came barely four weeks after the agency dismantled another large-scale methamphetamine laboratory hidden in a forest in Ijebu East, Ogun State.
He described the latest discovery as evidence of attempts by drug cartels to establish the South-West region as a hub for synthetic drug production.
“On June 17, NDLEA tactical operatives stormed a highly fortified industrial-scale clandestine methamphetamine laboratory operating deep within the forest of Tapa Village in Ibarapa North Local Government Area of Oyo State.
“This was not a crude operation but a sophisticated and highly organized transnational syndicate,” he said.
According to Marwa, five key members of the cartel were arrested during the operation, including a 56-year-old Mexican methamphetamine specialist allegedly brought into Nigeria to provide technical expertise for large-scale drug production.
The four other suspects are Nigerians believed to have provided logistics, operational support and local cover for the illegal enterprise.
He said the arrest of a foreign drug expert highlighted the international dimension of the threat and demonstrated the agency’s growing capacity to track and dismantle sophisticated criminal networks.
“More importantly, it reflects the world-class intelligence capabilities of the NDLEA in identifying, intercepting and neutralizing such threats,” he added.
Following the raid, a specialized team from the agency’s Directorate of Forensic and Chemical Monitoring conducted a detailed examination of the facility on June 18.
The team discovered what Marwa described as a “factory-scale production line” equipped with large quantities of precursor chemicals, industrial catalysts and heavy-duty processing equipment used in the manufacture of methamphetamine.
Among the materials recovered were large volumes of Phenyl-II-propanone (P2P), a highly controlled precursor chemical used in methamphetamine production, drums containing Phenylacetic Acid, caustic soda, sulphuric acid, tartaric acid, thioglycolic acid, ethyl phenylacetate and other substances.
The agency also recovered industrial equipment, including a reactor pot used for chemical synthesis, mounted distillation units, fabricated mixers and condensers, and vegetable dehydrator machines used to process drug crystals.
Marwa said field tests conducted by forensic experts confirmed that samples recovered from the facility tested positive for methamphetamine.
“All exhibits have been safely evacuated, documented and preserved for evidential purposes and prosecution,” he said.
He noted that the seizure prevented what could have been the circulation of millions of doses of synthetic drugs worth billions of naira within Nigeria and beyond.
The NDLEA boss expressed concern over the emergence of large-scale methamphetamine laboratories in forested areas of the South-West, warning that criminal organizations were increasingly seeking remote locations to evade detection.
“The proximity of this laboratory to the one uncovered in Ogun State just weeks ago reveals a deliberate effort by drug cartels to establish a synthetic drug manufacturing corridor in the South-West,” he said.
He, however, warned that no location would remain beyond the reach of law enforcement.
“Let this serve as a clear message to drug cartels, both local and international: Nigeria is not, and will never be, a safe haven for illicit drug production and trafficking.
“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 long arm of the law. They were wrong,” he said.
Marwa commended officers of the NDLEA Oyo State Command for their courage and professionalism and thanked members of the public for providing credible intelligence that aided the operation.
“Together, we are securing the future of our nation,” he added.
SOURCE: NAN
