The Federal High Court sitting 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 a clandestine laboratory for the production of methamphetamine in a forest at Tapa village, Ibarapa North Local Government Area of the state.
Justice Nkeonye Evelyn Maha ordered the defendants to be remanded at the Correctional Centre in Ibadan after they pleaded not guilty to a four-count charge brought against them by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).
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, the six defendants were allegedly involved in a drug trafficking organisation responsible for establishing and operating an illegal methamphetamine production facility in a forested area of Oyo State.
The agency disclosed that Villa Ochoa and the four Nigerians were arrested on Wednesday, June 17, 2026, during an operation conducted by its personnel at Tapa village in Ibarapa North Local Government Area.
The arrests followed investigations into suspected illegal drug production activities at the forest location.
However, the second Mexican national, Arturo, was arrested on August 19, 2026, after NDLEA operatives tracked him to the Lagos airport, where he was allegedly attempting to flee Nigeria.
The NDLEA alleged that the defendants were involved in activities connected with the production of methamphetamine, a controlled psychotropic substance, and the movement of chemicals used in its manufacture.
In the four-count charge filed before the Federal High Court, the prosecution accused the defendants of conspiring to operate a drug trafficking organisation and establishing a clandestine laboratory for producing methamphetamine.
The agency alleged that the offences were committed between December 2025 and June 2026 at different locations in Lagos and Oyo states.
The defendants were also accused of unlawfully transporting and distributing chemical substances intended for use in the production of methamphetamine without the necessary legal authorisation.
According to the prosecution, the alleged offences contravened Section 20(1)(f) of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency Act and are punishable under Section 20(2)(a) of the Act.
The prosecution maintained that the activities of the defendants constituted violations of Nigeria’s drug control laws, which prohibit the unlawful manufacture and distribution of controlled substances.
When the charges were read and explained to the defendants in a language they understood, all six pleaded not guilty.
Following their pleas, Justice Maha ordered that they be remanded in custody at the Correctional Centre in Ibadan pending the commencement of their trial.
The court subsequently adjourned the matter until January 26, 27, 28 and 29, 2027, for trial.
The development was disclosed in a statement issued on Friday, November 6, 2026, by the NDLEA Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, from the agency’s headquarters in Abuja.
The prosecution of the six defendants follows earlier operations by the NDLEA targeting suspected clandestine drug production facilities involving foreign nationals and their alleged Nigerian collaborators.
In a related development, the agency disclosed that three other Mexican nationals and seven Nigerians had also been remanded over their alleged involvement in the establishment of a similar methamphetamine laboratory in Ogun State.
The 10 defendants were arrested on May 16, 2026, following an NDLEA operation at a forest hideout in the state.
According to the agency, the suspects were subsequently arraigned before the Federal High Court in Lagos over their alleged involvement in unlawful drug production activities.
The trial court rejected their application for bail and ordered an accelerated hearing of the case.
The separate proceedings in Oyo and Ogun states followed NDLEA investigations into suspected methamphetamine production operations involving Mexican nationals and Nigerian collaborators.
The agency maintained that its operations were directed at disrupting illegal drug manufacturing activities and bringing those allegedly responsible before the courts.
Post Title: “Six Defendants Plead Not Guilty To Methamphetamine Production Charges” — Court Orders Remand, Fixes January Trial By Naijaonpoint.