By Omoyeni Ojeifo
Two Mexican nationals and four Nigerian collaborators accused of establishing and operating a clandestine methamphetamine laboratory in a forest in Oyo State have been remanded at the correctional centre in Ibadan.
The six 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 production of methamphetamine.
The defendants are Mexicans Jose Villa Ochoa, 56, and Carrera Loaiza Arturo, 40, alongside Nigerians Maxwell Uche Nevoh, 30; Olatunji Yusuf, 37; Bankole Akeem Owolabi, 45; and Ganiu Monsiu, 43.
PerSecondNews reported earlier that NDLEA operatives arrested Villa Ochoa and the four Nigerian suspects on Wednesday, June 17, 2026, in a forested area of Tapa village in Ibarapa North Local Government Area of Oyo State.
Arturo was subsequently tracked down and arrested on Wednesday, August 19, 2026, while attempting to flee Nigeria through the Lagos airport.
The four-count charge accused the defendants of conspiring to operate a drug trafficking organisation and establishing a clandestine laboratory for methamphetamine production between December 2025 and June 2026, at various locations in Lagos and Oyo states.
They were also accused of unlawfully transporting and distributing chemical substances for the manufacture of methamphetamine, a psychotropic substance, contrary to Section 20(1)(f) and punishable under Section 20(2)(a) of the NDLEA Act.
All six defendants pleaded not guilty after the charges were read to them in a language they understood, the agency said in a statement emailed to PerSecondNews by its Director, Media and Advocacy, Mr Femi Babafemi, on Friday.
Following their pleas, Justice Maha ordered their remand at the Correctional Centre in Ibadan and adjourned the case until January 26, 27, 28 and 29, 2027, for trial.
In a related development, three other Mexican nationals and seven Nigerian collaborators arrested over a similar offence at a forest hideout in Ogun State have also been remanded following their arraignment before the Federal High Court in Lagos.
The 10 suspects were arrested during an earlier operation on Saturday, May 16, 2026.
The court rejected their bail application and ordered an accelerated hearing of the case.
The NDLEA disclosed the development in a statement issued on Friday, November 6, 2026, by its Director, Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, in Abuja.
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