Two Mexicans, Four Nigerians Remanded Over Methamphetamine Laboratory in Oyo Forest
Two Mexican nationals and four Nigerians have been remanded at a correctional centre in Ibadan, Oyo State, following their arraignment over alleged involvement in the establishment and operation of a clandestine laboratory for the production of methamphetamine in a forest community in the state.
The defendants were arraigned by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) before Justice Nkeonye Evelyn Maha of the Federal High Court, Ibadan, on a four-count charge bordering on conspiracy, drug trafficking and the establishment of an illegal drug production facility.
The defendants are 56-year-old Mexican national, Jose Villa Ochoa, and four Nigerians identified as Maxwell Uche Nevoh, 30; Olatunji Yusuf, 37; Bankole Akeem Owolabi, 45; and Ganiu Monsiu, 43.
The second Mexican national, 40-year-old Carrera Loaiza Arturo, was also arraigned alongside them.
According to the NDLEA, five of the defendants, comprising Ochoa and the four Nigerians, were arrested on Wednesday, June 17, 2026, by operatives of the agency in a forested area of Tapa village, Ibarapa North Local Government Area of Oyo State.
Arturo was subsequently arrested on August 19, 2026, while allegedly attempting to flee the country through the Lagos airport.
The agency said investigations revealed that the defendants allegedly conspired to establish and operate a drug trafficking organisation, with the clandestine laboratory serving as a facility for the production of methamphetamine, a psychotropic substance.
The four-count charge filed against them alleged that the defendants, between December 2025 and June 2026, operated across different locations in Lagos and Oyo States to facilitate the establishment and operation of the illegal drug manufacturing facility.
They were also accused of unlawfully transporting and distributing chemical substances intended for the production of methamphetamine.
The NDLEA said the alleged offences contravened Section 20(1)(f) and are punishable under Section 20(2)(a) of the agency’s Act.
When the charges were read to them in languages they understood, all six defendants pleaded not guilty.
Following their pleas, Justice Maha ordered that they be remanded at the Correctional Centre in Ibadan pending the commencement of their trial.
The judge subsequently adjourned the case to January 26, 27, 28 and 29, 2027, for trial.
The Oyo State development comes months after another operation by the NDLEA uncovered a similar clandestine drug manufacturing facility in a forest hideout in Ogun State, involving three Mexican nationals and seven Nigerians.
The 10 suspects, who were arrested during the operation on Saturday, May 16, 2026, have also been remanded following their arraignment before a Federal High Court in Lagos.
In that case, the trial judge rejected their bail application and ordered an accelerated hearing of the matter.
The two operations highlight the agency’s efforts to dismantle suspected international drug manufacturing and trafficking networks operating in forested communities in southwestern Nigeria.
The latest development also brings to 16 the number of suspects identified by the NDLEA in the two separate operations involving Mexican nationals and their alleged Nigerian collaborators.
The statement was issued earlier today – Friday, November 6, 2026, by Femi Babafemi, Director of Media and Advocacy at the NDLEA headquarters in Abuja.
