The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arraigned two Mexican nationals and four Nigerians before the Federal High Court in Ibadan, Oyo State, over their alleged involvement in the establishment and operation of a clandestine methamphetamine laboratory in Tapa Village, Ibarapa North Local Government Area.
The six defendants appeared before Justice Nkeonye Evelyn Maha on a four-count charge bordering on conspiracy, the establishment of an illicit drug laboratory and the unlawful handling of chemicals allegedly intended for methamphetamine production.
The Mexican defendants are Jose Villa Ochoa, 56, and Carrera Loaiza Arturo, 40. The four Nigerians are Maxwell Uche Nevoh, 30; Olatunji Yusuf, 37; Bankole Akeem Owolabi, 45; and Ganiu Monsiu, 43.
The NDLEA’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, disclosed the development in a statement issued on Friday.
According to the agency, Villa Ochoa and the four Nigerian defendants were arrested by its operatives on June 17, 2026, in a forested area of Tapa Village.
Arturo was subsequently arrested on August 19, 2026, at the Lagos airport while allegedly attempting to leave the country.
The four-count charge alleged that the defendants conspired to operate a drug trafficking organisation and establish a clandestine laboratory for methamphetamine production between December 2025 and June 2026, at various locations in Lagos and Oyo states.
They were also accused of unlawfully transporting and distributing chemical substances intended for the manufacture of the drug, contrary to Section 20(1)(f) of the NDLEA Act, an offence punishable under Section 20(2)(a) of the Act.
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All six defendants pleaded not guilty after the charges were read to them in a language they understood.
Following their pleas, Justice Maha ordered that they be remanded at the Correctional Centre in Ibadan. The court adjourned the case until January 26, 27, 28 and 29, 2027, for trial.
The Oyo case follows an earlier NDLEA operation in Ogun State, where three other Mexican nationals and seven Nigerians were arrested over an alleged methamphetamine laboratory in a forest hideout on May 16, 2026.
The 10 defendants in the Ogun case were also arraigned before a Federal High Court in Lagos. The court reportedly rejected their bail application and ordered an accelerated hearing.
The NDLEA said the two operations involved foreign nationals and Nigerians allegedly linked to clandestine methamphetamine production facilities in forest locations in the South-West.