…NDLEA Arraigns Six Suspects on Four-Count Charge Before Federal High Court in Ibadan
…Second Mexican Arrested at Lagos Airport While Attempting to Flee Nigeria
Two Mexican nationals and four Nigerian collaborators have been remanded at the Correctional Centre in Ibadan following their arraignment before the Federal High Court, Ibadan, over their alleged involvement in the establishment and operation of a clandestine methamphetamine production laboratory in a forest at Tapa village, Ibarapa North Local Government Area of Oyo State.
The six defendants were arraigned by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) before Justice Nkeonye Evelyn Maha on a four-count charge bordering on conspiracy, establishment of an illegal drug manufacturing laboratory and unlawful transportation and distribution of chemical substances for the production of methamphetamine, a psychotropic substance.
According to a statement issued on Friday, November 6, 2026, by the NDLEA Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, the suspects comprise a 56-year-old Mexican national, Jose Villa Ochoa, and four Nigerians identified as Maxwell Uche Nevoh, 30; Olatunji Yusuf, 37; Bankole Akeem Owolabi, 45; and Ganiu Monsiu, 43.
Babafemi disclosed that the five suspects were arrested on Wednesday, June 17, 2026, by NDLEA operatives in a forested area of Tapa village, Ibarapa North Local Government Area, where the clandestine drug production facility was discovered.
The sixth defendant, identified as 40-year-old Mexican national Carrera Loaiza Arturo, was subsequently tracked down and arrested on August 19, 2026, while allegedly attempting to escape from Nigeria through the Lagos airport.
The four-count charge filed against the defendants revealed that between December 2025 and June 2026, at various locations in Lagos and Oyo States, they allegedly conspired to establish and operate a drug trafficking organisation and a clandestine laboratory for the production of methamphetamine.
The defendants were also accused of unlawfully engaging in the transportation and distribution of chemical substances intended for the manufacture of the prohibited psychotropic substance.
The alleged offences, according to the charge, contravene Section 20(1)(f) and are punishable under Section 20(2)(a) of the NDLEA Act.
When the charges were read to them in a language they understood, all six defendants pleaded not guilty to the allegations.
Following their pleas, Justice Maha ordered that they be remanded at the Correctional Centre in Ibadan pending the commencement of trial.
The court subsequently adjourned the case to January 26, 27, 28 and 29, 2027, for trial.
In a related development, the NDLEA disclosed that three other Mexican nationals and seven Nigerian collaborators arrested over a similar clandestine methamphetamine production operation in a forest hideout in Ogun State have also been remanded in custody.
The suspects were arrested during an earlier operation conducted on Saturday, May 16, 2026, and subsequently arraigned before a Federal High Court in Lagos.
Their bail application was reportedly rejected by the trial judge, who instead ordered an accelerated hearing of the case.
The two operations underscore the NDLEA’s ongoing efforts to dismantle clandestine drug manufacturing networks and bring individuals allegedly involved in the production and trafficking of prohibited substances to justice.
Court Remands Two Mexicans, Four Nigerians Over Methamphetamine Laboratory in Oyo Forest
