By Ademola Ade
A remote forest in Oyo State has become the centre of an international drug trafficking investigation following the arraignment of two Mexican nationals and four Nigerians accused of conspiring to establish and operate a clandestine methamphetamine laboratory.
The six defendants were on Friday brought before the Federal High Court in Ibadan by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) over their alleged involvement in setting up an illicit drug manufacturing facility in a forest at Tapa village, Ibarapa North Local Government Area of Oyo State.
The defendants, comprising two Mexican nationals and four Nigerians, are accused of collaborating to establish a drug production network allegedly operating across Lagos and Oyo states.
They were arraigned before Justice Nkeonye Evelyn Maha on a four-count charge bordering on conspiracy to operate a drug trafficking organisation, establishment of an illicit drug manufacturing laboratory and unlawful transportation and distribution of chemical substances intended for methamphetamine production.
The first Mexican defendant, 56-year-old Jose Villa Ochoa, was arrested alongside four Nigerians identified as Maxwell Uche Nevoh, 30; Olatunji Yusuf, 37; Bankole Akeem Owolabi, 45; and Ganiu Monsiu, 43.
The five suspects were reportedly arrested by NDLEA operatives on June 17, 2026, in the forested area of Tapa village, where the alleged clandestine laboratory was uncovered.
The second Mexican national, 40-year-old Carrera Loaiza Arturo, was subsequently arrested on August 19, 2026, at the Lagos airport while allegedly attempting to flee the country.
According to the prosecution, the defendants allegedly conspired between December 2025 and June 2026, at different locations in Lagos and Oyo states, to establish and operate a drug trafficking organisation dedicated to the production of methamphetamine, a controlled psychotropic substance.
The charge further accused them of unlawfully engaging in the transportation and distribution of chemical substances intended for the manufacture of the illicit drug.
The alleged offences are contrary to Section 20(1)(f) and punishable under Section 20(2)(a) of the NDLEA Act.
However, all six defendants pleaded not guilty when the charges were read to them in a language they understood.
Following their pleas, Justice Maha ordered that the defendants be remanded at the Correctional Centre, Ibadan, pending the commencement of trial.
The court subsequently fixed January 26, 27, 28 and 29, 2027, for trial.
Another Mexican-Nigerian drug case
The Oyo case comes against the backdrop of another major NDLEA operation involving an alleged clandestine drug laboratory in a forest hideout in Ogun State.
In that operation, three Mexican nationals and seven Nigerian collaborators were arrested on May 16, 2026, over their alleged involvement in a similar drug manufacturing operation.
The 10 defendants have also been arraigned before the Federal High Court in Lagos and remanded in custody.
The trial judge rejected their bail application and ordered an accelerated hearing to ensure the speedy determination of the case.
The two cases have drawn attention to alleged international drug manufacturing networks operating through forest hideouts in southwestern Nigeria, as the NDLEA pursues the prosecution of the suspects.
For the six defendants in the Oyo case, the next legal battle begins on January 26, 2027, when the trial is scheduled to commence.
