NDLEA Busts Major Meth Lab in Oyo, Arrests Five Cartel Members

On June 17, 2026, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) conducted a successful raid on a clandestine methamphetamine laboratory located in Tapa Village, Ibarapa North Local Government Area, Oyo State. The operation, led by Brig Gen Mohammed Buba Marwa, resulted in the arrest of five cartel members, including 56-year-old Mexican methamphetamine expert Jose Villa Ochoa and four Nigerian collaborators: Maxwel Uch Nevoh (30), Olatunji Yusuf (37), Bankol Akeem Owolabi (45), and Ganiu Monsiu (43).

The lab was described as highly organized and sophisticated, stocked with a frightening array of precursor chemicals and heavy-duty processing equipment. The NDLEA recovered significant quantities of various chemicals, including 1,800 liters of phenylacet acid and 300 liters of a whitish crystalline substance, which tested positive for methamphetamine.

This discovery follows a similar raid in Ogun State four weeks prior, underscoring the persistent threat posed by drug cartels in Nigeria.