*Nigeria’s National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, arraigns the six defendants at the Federal High Court sitting, in Ibadan, Oyo State, accusing them of unlawfully transporting and distributing chemical substances intended for the production of 1.260 kilogrammes of the illicit drug, contrary to relevant extant provisions of the NDLEA Act in the country
Isola Moses | ConsumerConnect
For alleged involvement in a drug trafficking organisation, and operation of an illegal methamphetamine laboratory, the Federal High Court sitting, in Ibadan, Oyo State, South-West region, has remanded two Mexican nationals and four Nigerians at the Agodi Correctional Centre, in Ibadan, the state capital.
ConsumerConnect reports the defendants are Jose Ochoa, Carrera Arturo, Bankole Owolabi, Ganiyu Monsiu, Yusuf Akanbi and Maxwell Nevoh.
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) had arraigned the six accused persons on a four-count charge bordering on conspiracy, illegal manufacturing, transportation, distribution, and possession of substances used in the production of methamphetamine.
The NDLEA also accused the defendants of conspiring between December 2025 and June 2026, to establish a hidden laboratory for the production of methamphetamine in Lagos and Oyo states.
The anti-narcotics regulatory agency also accused them of unlawfully transporting and distributing chemical substances intended for the production of 1.260 kilogrammes of the illicit drug, contrary to relevant provisions of the NDLEA Act in Nigeria.
In the third count, the agency further accused the defendants of unlawfully manufacturing 1.250 kilogrammes of methamphetamine June 17, 2026, at Tapa Village, in Ibarapa Local Government Area of Oyo State.
The accused persons were equally accused of deliberate possession of 1.260 kilogrammes of the substance without lawful authority.
The court ruled that the alleged offences are punishable under various provisions of the NDLEA Act, Cap N30, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.
Mr. Adekunle Adebajo, prosecuting counsel of NDLEA, had told the court that the defendants allegedly belonged to a drug trafficking organisation, and conspired to establish an illegal drug manufacturing laboratory across the two states.
Adebajo alleged that the defendants, without lawful authority, procured and transported materials for the production of methamphetamine at different locations in Lagos and Oyo states.
He further told the court that the defendants allegedly manufactured 1.260 kilogrammes of the substance on June 17, 2026, at Tapa Village in Ibarapa Local Government Area of Oyo State.
Following the defendants’ pleas in court, Adebajo urged the Judge to remand them in custody, and requested an adjournment to enable the commencement of the trial.
Mr Echeme Ekeghe, counsel to the first defendant, however, informed the court that his client, Ochoa, was diabetic.
Ekeghe indicated that an appropriate application would be filed concerning his client’s place of remand.
Mr. Benson Ndakara, counsel to the second defendant, and Mrs. Oreofe Ogunleye, counsel to the remaining four defendants, raised no objection to the remand order or the adjournment.
Justice Nkeone Maha, therefore, ordered their remand at the Agodi Correctional Centre after they pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Justice Maha also directed the prosecution to serve the proof of evidence on all defence counsel and adjourned the case to January 26, 27, 28 and 29, 2027, for the commencement of trial.
Earlier, the NDLEA operatives Wednesday, June 17, 2026, had said they discovered and dismantled a fortified, industrial-scale clandestine methamphetamine laboratory operated by a Nigerian-Mexican cartel when they stormed the facility deep within the forest of Tapa Village, Ibarapa North Local Government Area of Oyo State.
Subsequently, the operatives during the raid of the illegal facility, arrested five key members of the cartel – Ochoa, Owolabi, Monsiu, Akanbi and Nevoh – at the site.
Further investigations reportedly led to a follow-up operation, September 2026, at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos, where the sixth alleged member of the syndicate, Arturo, was arrested after reportedly escaping the initial operation.