The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency has uncovered a suspected methamphetamine production facility in Oyo State and arrested five persons, including a Mexican national alleged to have been brought into Nigeria to provide technical support for the operation.

The Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the NDLEA, retired Brigadier General Buba Marwa, disclosed the development on Wednesday at a briefing in Abuja.

Marwa, who was represented by the agency’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, said operatives raided the facility on June 17 after receiving intelligence on the activities of the suspected drug syndicate.

The laboratory was said to be concealed in a forest around Tapa Village in Ibarapa North Local Government Area of the state.

According to the NDLEA, the operation led to the arrest of five suspects, including the foreign national, who was allegedly recruited to assist in the production of methamphetamine.

Marwa described the discovery as a significant success in the agency’s efforts to disrupt drug manufacturing networks and trafficking cartels operating across the country.

He said the raid was carried out following credible intelligence, adding that the agency would continue to pursue individuals and groups involved in the illicit production and distribution of narcotics.

The NDLEA did not immediately provide further details on the identities of the suspects, the quantity of drugs recovered or the estimated value of items seized from the site.