A suspected drug kingpin, three Mexican nationals and six other alleged members of an international drug cartel have been arraigned before the Federal High Court in Lagos over the operation of a clandestine methamphetamine laboratory in Ogun State, where the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) said illicit drugs worth more than ₦480 billion were produced.
The defendants, 63-year-old Anochili Innocent, Juan Carlos Meza Torrero, Nemecio Martinez Felix, Jesus López Valles, Nwankwo Sunday Christian, Egwuonwu Uchenna Victor, Igwe Abuchi Remijus, Ifeanyichukwu Chibuike Joshua, Omonughwa Kingsley Orike and Nwobum Emeka, were arraigned on Friday before Justice Musa Kakaki on an 11-count charge bordering on the establishment of a super clandestine laboratory and the production of 2,419.48 kilogrammes of methamphetamine.
According to the NDLEA’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, the suspects were arrested during coordinated intelligence-led operations conducted between May 16 and 18, 2026, in Ogun and Lagos states.
Babafemi said seven of the suspects, including the three Mexican nationals believed to be methamphetamine production experts, were arrested on May 16 at the clandestine laboratory hidden deep inside a forest in Mowe, Ijebu East Local Government Area of Ogun State.
He added that the alleged kingpin, Anochili, was simultaneously arrested at his residence in Golf Estate, Lakowe, Lekki, Lagos, while follow-up operations on May 18 led to the arrest of two additional suspects and the discovery of another property allegedly used by the syndicate as a strategic stash house.
According to the charge sheet, the defendants allegedly conspired between February and May 16, 2026, to establish and operate the illegal laboratory, manage and finance a drug trafficking organisation, transport precursor chemicals to the facility and unlawfully produce and possess 2,419.48 kilogrammes of methamphetamine in contravention of the NDLEA Act.
The prosecution also alleged that operatives recovered large quantities of precursor chemicals from the laboratory, including 358 kilogrammes of toluene, 1,834 kilogrammes of hydrochloric acid, 22.5 kilogrammes of acetone, as well as quantities of phenyl-2-propane (P2P) and phenyl acetic acid.
In a separate count, Anochili was accused of unlawfully permitting his property to be used for the production of illicit drugs.
All ten defendants pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Although the prosecution indicated its readiness to commence trial after serving the proof of evidence on the defence on July 3, defence counsel requested more time to prepare their case.
Justice Kakaki subsequently ordered that the defendants be remanded at the Nigerian Correctional Service facility in Lagos and adjourned the case until July 16 and July 22, 2026, for the hearing of their bail applications and commencement of trial.
Speaking on the arraignment, Babafemi quoted the Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of the NDLEA, Brig.-Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), as describing the case as one of the most significant dismantling of an industrial-scale narcotics production operation on Nigerian soil.
Marwa said, “This case represents one of the most significant dismantling of an industrial-scale narcotics production operation on Nigerian soil, underscoring the increasingly transnational character of drug trafficking networks now desperate to exploit Nigeria as a manufacturing base for onward export.”
He said the involvement of three Mexican nationals highlighted the growing efforts by international drug cartels to establish operations in Nigeria.
“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,” Babafemi quoted Marwa as saying.
Marwa reaffirmed the agency’s commitment to dismantling drug trafficking networks and their local collaborators, while urging members of the public to continue providing credible intelligence to support the NDLEA’s nationwide operations.
