By Ibrahim Salaudeen, Lagos
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arraigned three Mexican nationals and seven Nigerians before the Federal High Court in Lagos over the alleged operation of a clandestine methamphetamine laboratory hidden inside a forest in Mowe, Ijebu East Local Government Area of Ogun State.
The 10 defendants are facing an 11-count charge bordering on conspiracy, illicit manufacture, possession and trafficking of methamphetamine, following the discovery of what prosecutors described as a sophisticated drug production facility concealed in the forest.
The case, marked FHC/CR/430/2026, was brought before Justice Musa Kakaki on Thursday.
The foreign defendants are Juan Carlos Meza Torrero, Nemecio Martinez Felix, and Jesus Lopez Valles, while their Nigerian co-defendants are Anochili Innocent, Nwankwo Sunday Christian, Egwuonwu Uchenna Victor, Igwe Abuchi Remijus, Ifeanyichukwu Chibuike Joshua, Omonughwa Kingsley Orike, and Emeka Christopher Nwobum.
Their arraignment, however, could not proceed after the defendants informed the court that they had only been served with the charge sheet on the day of the hearing. They also objected to the interpreter engaged by the prosecution, expressing dissatisfaction with the interpretation.
Following the objections, Justice Kakaki adjourned the matter until July 10 for arraignment.
According to the charge filed by the NDLEA, the defendants allegedly conspired to manufacture and possess 2,419.48 kilograms of methamphetamine, a prohibited psychotropic substance with effects comparable to cocaine, heroin and LSD.
The prosecution, led by Buhari Abdullahi, further alleged that the accused operated and financed a drug trafficking syndicate responsible for processing and producing methamphetamine at the concealed forest laboratory.
The NDLEA also accused the defendants of transporting precursor chemicals used in methamphetamine production—including toluene, Phenyl-2-Propanone (P2P), phenylacetic acid, acetone and hydrochloric acid—from Lagos to the Ogun forest site using a Toyota Tacoma, a Mercedes-Benz with registration number APP 942 YL, and a Toyota Highlander bearing registration number GWA 662 DJ.
Prosecutors alleged that large quantities of chemicals intended for drug production were recovered from the suspects, including 358 kilograms of toluene, 1,834 kilograms of hydrochloric acid, 22.5 kilograms of acetone, as well as unspecified quantities of P2P and phenylacetic acid.
The NDLEA further claimed that the first defendant, Anochili Innocent, owned and managed the fenced property within the Mowe forest where the clandestine laboratory was established, allegedly knowing it was being used for the illegal manufacture of methamphetamine.
The agency said the alleged offences contravene Sections 11(a), 12, 14(b), 19, 20(1)(e) and 20(1)(g) of the NDLEA Act, Cap N30, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004, and are punishable under Section 20(2)(a) of the Act.
The Daily Crucible reports that the NDLEA had on May 20 announced the dismantling of a major transnational methamphetamine cartel jointly operated by Nigerian traffickers and Mexican drug experts, recovering illicit drugs and chemical substances valued at over N480 billion.
The operation, described at the time as one of the biggest anti-drug breakthroughs in Nigeria’s history, led to the arrest of 10 suspects, including the alleged kingpin, three Mexican nationals and six Nigerian collaborators.
The agency’s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), said that the NDLEA elite operatives from its Special Operations Unit carried out coordinated raids across Ogun and Lagos states after months of intelligence gathering and leading to arrest of the suspects.
Marwa described it as the largest clandestine methamphetamine laboratory ever discovered in Nigeria, hidden inside Abidagba forest in Ijebu East Local Government Area of Ogun State.
He said the cartel operated an industrial-scale meth production facility capable of flooding local and international markets with dangerous narcotics.
Among those arrested at the site were four Nigerians — Nwankwo Sunday Christian, Igwe Abuchi Remijus, Ifeanyichukwu Chibuike Joshua and Egwuonwu Uchenna Victor — alongside three Mexican nationals identified as Martinez Felix Nemecto, Jesus López Valles and Torrero Juan Carlos, who were allegedly brought into Nigeria to manufacture methamphetamine.
