Court remands two Mexicans and four Nigerians over Oyo forest meth lab

The Federal High Court in Ibadan, Oyo State, has remanded two Mexican nationals and four Nigerians over their alleged involvement in a methamphetamine laboratory in Tapa village, Ibarapa North Local Government Area.

The defendants are Jose Villa Ochoa and Carrera Loaiza Arturo, both Mexicans, alongside Maxwell Uche Nevoh, Olatunji Yusuf, Bankole Akeem Owolabi and Ganiu Monsiu.

In a statement on Friday, November 6, National Drug Law Enforcement Agency spokesperson Femi Babafemi said the six were arraigned on four counts relating to the alleged unlawful transportation and distribution of chemicals intended for methamphetamine production. All six pleaded not guilty.

Following their pleas, Justice Nkeonye Evelyn Maha ordered their remand at a correctional centre in Ibadan. According to the NDLEA, Ochoa and the four Nigerian defendants were arrested on June 17, 2026. Arturo was arrested on August 19 at the Lagos airport while allegedly attempting to leave the country.

Babafemi had previously alleged that Ochoa was brought into Nigeria to provide technical expertise for large-scale methamphetamine production, while the Nigerian defendants managed logistics and local operations. In a separate operation in September, the NDLEA reported discovering an “industrial-scale” methamphetamine laboratory in Ebonyi State.