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 methamphetamine laboratory in Oyo State.
The six defendants were arraigned on a four-count charge by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) before Justice Nkeonye Evelyn Maha of the Federal High Court, Ibadan.
The agency’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, disclosed the developments in a statement issued on Friday, November 6, 2026.
The defendants are 56-year-old Jose Villa Ochoa and 40-year-old Carrera Loaiza Arturo, both Mexican nationals, alongside four Nigerians identified as Maxwell Uche Nevoh, 30; Olatunji Yusuf, 37; Bankole Akeem Owolabi, 45; and Ganiu Monsiu, 43.
According to the NDLEA, Villa Ochoa and the four Nigerian suspects were arrested on June 17, 2026, in a forested area of Tapa village, Ibarapa North Local Government Area of Oyo State.
The second Mexican, Arturo, was subsequently arrested on August 19, 2026, while allegedly attempting to flee the country through the Lagos airport.
The four-count charge accused the defendants of conspiring to operate a drug trafficking organisation and establishing a clandestine laboratory for the production of methamphetamine, a psychotropic substance, between December 2025 and June 2026 in various locations across Lagos and Oyo states.
They were also accused of unlawfully transporting and distributing 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.
All six defendants pleaded not guilty to the charges after they were read to them in languages they understood.
Following their pleas, Justice Maha ordered that they be remanded at the Correctional Centre in Ibadan.
The court adjourned the case 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 laboratory in a forest hideout in Ogun State have also been remanded following their arraignment before the Federal High Court in Lagos.
The NDLEA said the court had rejected their bail application and ordered an accelerated hearing of the case.
