A Federal High Court sitting in Ibadan, Oyo State, has ordered the remand of two Mexican nationals and four Nigerians at the Agodi Correctional Centre over their alleged involvement in a drug trafficking syndicate operating an illegal methamphetamine laboratory.
The six defendants — Jose Ochoa, Carrera Arturo, Bankole Owolabi, Ganiyu Monsiu, Yusuf Akanbi and Maxwell Nevoh — were arraigned by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency on a four-count charge bordering on conspiracy, illegal manufacture, transportation, distribution and possession of substances used in producing methamphetamine.
According to the prosecution, the defendants allegedly conspired between December 2025 and June 2026 to establish a clandestine methamphetamine production laboratory in Lagos and Oyo states.
The NDLEA further accused them of unlawfully procuring, transporting and distributing chemical substances intended for the production of 1.260 kilogrammes of the illicit drug.
In another count, the defendants were accused of manufacturing 1.250 kilogrammes of methamphetamine on June 17, 2026, at Tapa Village in Ibarapa Local Government Area of Oyo State.
They were also charged with knowingly possessing 1.260 kilogrammes of the substance without lawful authority, contrary to provisions of the NDLEA Act, Cap N30, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.
Prosecuting counsel, Adekunle Adebajo, told the court that the defendants were allegedly members of a drug trafficking organisation that conspired to establish an illegal drug manufacturing facility.
He alleged that they procured and transported materials for the production of methamphetamine to different locations in Lagos and Oyo states before manufacturing the illicit substance at Tapa Village.
Following their pleas, Adebajo urged the court to remand the defendants in custody and adjourn the matter for trial.
However, counsel to the first defendant, Ochoa, Echeme Ekeghe, informed the court that his client was diabetic and indicated that an appropriate application would be filed regarding his place of detention.
Counsel to the second defendant, Benson Ndakara, and lawyer to the remaining four defendants, Oreofe Ogunleye, did not oppose the remand order or the request for adjournment.
Justice Nkeone Maha subsequently ordered that the six defendants be remanded at the Agodi Correctional Centre after they pleaded not guilty to the charges.
The judge directed the prosecution to serve the proof of evidence on all defence counsel and adjourned the case until January 26, 27, 28 and 29, 2027, for the commencement of trial.
The case followed an NDLEA operation on June 17, 2026, during which operatives reportedly discovered and dismantled a fortified, industrial-scale clandestine methamphetamine laboratory hidden in a forest at Tapa Village, Ibarapa North Local Government Area of Oyo State.
During the raid, five suspected members of the Nigerian-Mexican cartel — Ochoa, Owolabi, Monsiu, Akanbi and Nevoh — were arrested at the facility.
Further investigations reportedly led to a follow-up operation in September 2026 at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, where the sixth defendant, Arturo, was arrested after allegedly escaping the initial operation.
