Two Mexican nationals and four Nigerians have been remanded at the Correctional Centre in Ibadan, Oyo State, over their alleged involvement in the establishment and operation of an illegal methamphetamine production laboratory.
The six defendants were arraigned 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 a clandestine drug manufacturing facility.
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) disclosed this in a statement issued on Friday by its Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi.
The defendants were identified as Mexican nationals Jose Villa Ochoa, 56, and Carrera Loaiza Arturo, 40, alongside four Nigerians: Maxwell Uche Nevoh, 30; Olatunji Yusuf, 37; Bankole Akeem Owolabi, 45; and Ganiu Monsiu, 43.
According to the NDLEA, Ochoa and the four Nigerian suspects were arrested on June 17, 2026, by operatives of the agency in a forested area of Tapa village, Ibarapa North Local Government Area of Oyo State.
The agency said the second Mexican national, Arturo, was subsequently arrested on August 19, 2026, while allegedly attempting to leave the country through the Lagos airport.
The charges filed against the defendants alleged that they conspired between December 2025 and June 2026 at different locations in Lagos and Oyo states to establish and operate a drug trafficking organisation.
They were also accused of setting up a clandestine laboratory for the production of methamphetamine, a highly addictive psychotropic substance.
Following their arraignment, the court ordered that the six defendants be remanded at the Correctional Centre in Ibadan pending further proceedings in the case.
