The operation, which the agency described as a major breakthrough against an international drug syndicate, was carried out on June 17 at Tapa Village in Ibarapa North Local Government Area of the state.
Among those arrested was 56-year-old Jose Villa Ochoa, a Mexican national allegedly brought into Nigeria to provide technical expertise for the large-scale production of methamphetamine. The other suspects are Maxwell Uche Nevoh, Olatunji Yusuf, Bankole Akeem Owolabi and Ganiu Monsiu.
According to the NDLEA, operatives recovered large quantities of precursor chemicals and industrial equipment used in the manufacture of methamphetamine from the hidden laboratory.
The agency said forensic analysis conducted at the scene confirmed the substances being produced were methamphetamine, adding that all exhibits recovered during the operation have been secured for further investigation and prosecution.
The latest discovery comes less than a month after NDLEA operatives uncovered and dismantled another large methamphetamine laboratory hidden inside a forest in neighbouring Ogun State, a development authorities say points to growing efforts by international drug trafficking networks to establish the South-West as a production base for synthetic drugs.
Reacting to the operation, Chairman of the NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), issued a stern warning to drug trafficking organisations operating within and outside Nigeria.
“Let the message go out clearly to all drug cartels, domestic and international, that Nigeria is not, and will never be, a safe haven for your illicit trade,” Marwa warned.
“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.”
The anti-narcotics agency described the successful raid as another significant setback for transnational drug trafficking networks and commended its officers for their professionalism, resilience and courage during the operation.