NDLEA Arraigns Alleged Drug Baron, Three Mexicans, Six Others Over N480bn Meth Lab
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arraigned a 63-year-old alleged drug baron, Anochili Innocent, three Mexican nationals and six other Nigerians over the establishment of a clandestine drug laboratory and the production of 2,419.48 kilogrammes of methamphetamine valued at more than N480 billion on the international market.
The 10 defendants were arraigned on Friday before Justice Musa Kakaki of the Federal High Court in Lagos on an 11-count criminal charge bordering on conspiracy, establishment of a clandestine laboratory, production and possession of methamphetamine, transportation of precursor chemicals and financing of a drug trafficking organisation.
Those arraigned alongside Anochili were three Mexican nationals, Juan Carlos Meza Torrero, 49; Nemecio Martinez Felix, 46; and Jesus López Valles, 40.
The Nigerian defendants are Nwankwo Sunday Christian, 41; Egwuonwu Uchenna Victor, 38; Igwe Abuchi Remijus, 43; Ifeanyichukwu Chibuike Joshua, 23; Omonughwa Kingsley Orike, 45; and Nwobum Emeka, 59.
According to the NDLEA, the defendants were arrested during coordinated raids carried out by its operatives in Ogun and Lagos states between May 16 and 18, 2026.
The agency said its operatives had on May 16 uncovered a large-scale clandestine methamphetamine laboratory hidden deep inside the Mowe forest in Ijebu East Local Government Area of Ogun State.
Those arrested at the laboratory were Nwankwo, Igwe, Ifeanyichukwu and Egwuonwu, as well as the three Mexican nationals described by the NDLEA as methamphetamine production experts.
The agency said the alleged mastermind of the drug cartel, Anochili, was simultaneously arrested at his luxury residence at No. 8 Tafawa Balewa Street, Golf Estate, Lakowe, Lekki, Lagos State.
In follow-up operations on May 18, NDLEA operatives raided another property allegedly owned by Anochili at House 70, Close 3, Mayfair Estate, Lakowe, Lekki, where another alleged key member of the syndicate, Kingsley Orike Omonughwa, was arrested.
Investigators subsequently moved to the residence of Emeka Nwobum, whose property was allegedly used as the cartel’s strategic stash house.
In the 11-count charge filed by the NDLEA prosecution team, the defendants were accused of conspiring between February and May 16, 2026, to establish a clandestine laboratory for the preparation, processing and production of methamphetamine.
The offence, according to the agency, is contrary to Section 14(b) of the NDLEA Act.
The defendants were also charged with allegedly managing, organising and financing a drug trafficking organisation, an offence said to be contrary to Section 20(1)(g) of the Act.
Other charges include the unlawful transportation of precursor chemicals from Lagos to the Mowe laboratory using a Toyota Tacoma, a Mercedes-Benz with registration number APP 942 YL and a Toyota Highlander marked GWA 662DJ.
The chemicals allegedly transported to the facility included toluene, phenyl-2-propane, also known as P2P, phenyl acetic acid, acetone and hydrochloric acid.
The NDLEA said the alleged transportation of the chemicals violated Section 20(1)(f) of its enabling Act.
The defendants were further charged with the unlawful production and possession of 2,419.48kg of methamphetamine, contrary to Sections 11(a) and 19 of the NDLEA Act respectively.
The charge sheet also detailed the alleged possession of large quantities of precursor chemicals recovered from the laboratory.
According to the agency, the chemicals included 358kg of toluene, 1,834kg of hydrochloric acid and 22.5kg of acetone, as well as quantities of P2P and phenyl acetic acid.
The alleged possession of the chemicals, the NDLEA said, was contrary to Section 20(1)(e) of the Act.
In a separate count relating solely to Anochili, the agency accused him of unlawfully allowing his property to be used for the production of illicit drugs.
The NDLEA described Anochili as the owner of the fenced expanse of land on which the clandestine laboratory was established and charged him under Section 12 of the NDLEA Act.
All 10 defendants pleaded not guilty to the charges when they were read to them before Justice Kakaki.
Following their pleas, the prosecution sought to commence trial by calling seven witnesses, having served the defence with the proof of evidence since July 3, 2026.
The defence, however, objected to the immediate commencement of trial and requested additional time to prepare.
Justice Kakaki subsequently ordered that the defendants be remanded at a correctional centre in Lagos and adjourned the case until July 16 and 22 for trial and hearing of the defendants’ bail applications.
Reacting to the arraignment, the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the NDLEA, Brigadier General Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd), described the case as one of the most significant dismantling of an industrial-scale narcotics production operation on Nigerian soil.
Marwa said the development underscored the increasingly transnational nature of drug trafficking networks and their attempts to exploit Nigeria as a manufacturing base for illicit drugs destined for international markets.
“The presence of Mexican nationals among those arrested and arraigned today speaks to the alarming reach of international drug cartels now attempting to entrench themselves in Nigeria, but the Agency will not relent in tracking down and dismantling every such network, no matter how well concealed or well-financed,” Marwa said.
He reiterated the NDLEA’s commitment to dismantling drug cartels and bringing their local collaborators to justice.
The NDLEA chairman also urged members of the public to continue providing credible and useful information to support the agency’s anti-narcotics operations across the country.
