By Nkechi Eze
A Federal High Court in Ibadan, Oyo State, has ordered the remand of two Mexican nationals and four Nigerians over their alleged involvement in the establishment and operation of an illegal methamphetamine production laboratory in a forested area of Tapa village, Ibarapa North Local Government Area of the 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 to operate a drug trafficking organisation, establishment of a clandestine drug laboratory and unlawful transportation and distribution of chemicals for the production of methamphetamine.
According to an official statement signed by the NDLEA Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, the defendants include 56-year-old Mexican national, Jose Villa Ochoa, and four Nigerian collaborators identified as Maxwell Uche Nevoh, 30; Olatunji Yusuf, 37; Bankole Akeem Owolabi, 45; and Ganiu Monsiu, 43.
The five suspects were arrested by NDLEA operatives on June 17, 2026, in a forested area of Tapa village, while the second Mexican national, 40-year-old Carrera Loaiza Arturo, was arrested on August 19, 2026, while allegedly attempting to flee Nigeria through the Lagos airport.
The charge alleged that the defendants, between December 2025 and June 2026, conspired at different locations in Lagos and Oyo States to establish and operate a drug trafficking organisation and a clandestine laboratory for the production of methamphetamine, a psychotropic substance.
They were also accused of unlawfully transporting and distributing chemical substances intended for the manufacture of the illicit drug, contrary to Section 20(1)(f) and punishable under Section 20(2)(a) of the NDLEA Act.
All six defendants pleaded not guilty to the charges when they were read to them in a language they understood.
Following their pleas, Justice Maha ordered that they be remanded at the Correctional Centre, Ibadan, and adjourned the case to January 26, 27, 28 and 29, 2027, for trial.
The latest development comes after another group of three Mexican nationals and seven Nigerian collaborators were arrested over a similar methamphetamine production operation at a forest hideout in Ogun State on May 16, 2026.
The 10 suspects were subsequently arraigned before a Federal High Court in Lagos, where their bail application was rejected and the court ordered an accelerated hearing of the case.
