Two Mexican nationals and four Nigerians have been remanded at the correctional centre in Ibadan over their alleged involvement in the establishment and operation of a clandestine laboratory for the production of methamphetamine in a forest in Tapa village, Ibarapa North Local Government Area of Oyo State.
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) arraigned the six defendants before Justice Nkeonye Evelyn Maha of the Federal High Court, Ibadan, on a four-count charge bordering on conspiracy, operating a drug trafficking organisation and the illegal production of methamphetamine.
The NDLEA Director, Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, disclosed this in a statement.
The defendants include a 56-year-old Mexican, Jose Villa Ochoa, and four Nigerians identified as Maxwell Uche Nevoh, 30; Olatunji Yusuf, 37; Bankole Akeem Owolabi, 45; and Ganiu Monsiu, 43.
According to the agency, 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 of Oyo State.
The second Mexican national, 40-year-old Carrera Loaiza Arturo, was subsequently tracked and arrested on August 19, 2026, while allegedly attempting to flee the country through the Lagos airport.
The four-count charge filed against the defendants alleged that between December 2025 and June 2026, at different locations in Lagos and Oyo States, they conspired to operate a drug trafficking organisation and established a clandestine laboratory for the production of methamphetamine, a psychotropic substance.
They were also accused of unlawfully engaging in the transportation and distribution of chemical substances intended for the manufacture of methamphetamine, contrary to Section 20(1)(f) and 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.
Following their pleas, Justice Maha ordered that they be remanded at the Correctional Centre in Ibadan.
The court adjourned the matter to January 26, 27, 28 and 29, 2027, for trial.
In a related development, three other Mexican nationals and seven Nigerian collaborators arrested over an alleged methamphetamine production operation at a forest hideout in Ogun State on May 16, 2026, have also been remanded following their arraignment before a Federal High Court in Lagos.
The trial judge had earlier rejected their bail application and ordered an accelerated hearing of the case, underscoring the NDLEA’s ongoing efforts to dismantle drug production networks operating in forested locations across the country.
