NDLEA Arraigns Drug Baron, Three Mexicans Over Alleged ₦480bn Meth Lab

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency has arraigned an alleged drug baron, three Mexican nationals and six other Nigerians before the Federal High Court in Lagos over the alleged establishment of a clandestine methamphetamine laboratory valued at more than ₦480 billion.

The defendants appeared before Justice Musa Kakaki on Friday on an 11-count charge bordering on conspiracy, unlawful production and possession of methamphetamine, operation of a drug trafficking organisation and unlawful possession of precursor chemicals.

The foreign nationals are Juan Carlos Meza Torrero, Nemecio Martinez Felix and Jesus López Valles, while the alleged kingpin, Anochili Innocent, 63, was arraigned alongside six Nigerian co-defendants.

According to the NDLEA, the suspects were arrested during coordinated operations conducted between May 16 and May 18, 2026, in Ogun and Lagos states.

The agency said operatives first raided a clandestine methamphetamine laboratory concealed inside a forest in Mowe village, Ijebu East Local Government Area of Ogun State, where seven suspects, including the three Mexican nationals described as methamphetamine experts, were arrested.

It added that Innocent, identified as the alleged mastermind of the syndicate, was arrested simultaneously at his residence in the Golf Estate area of Lakowe, Lekki, while subsequent operations led to the arrest of two additional suspects at properties allegedly linked to the cartel.

The prosecution alleged that the defendants established and operated an illicit drug production facility between February and May 2026, transporting precursor chemicals, including toluene, hydrochloric acid, acetone, phenyl-2-propane and phenyl acetic acid, from Lagos to the Ogun laboratory.

Investigators also alleged that 2,419.48 kilograms of methamphetamine with an estimated international street value exceeding ₦480 billion were recovered, alongside large quantities of chemicals used in drug production.

All 10 defendants pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Justice Kakaki ordered their remand at the Lagos Correctional Centre and adjourned proceedings to July 16 and July 22, 2026, for trial and hearing of their bail applications.

NDLEA Chairman, retired Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa, described the case as one of the agency’s most significant operations, warning that international drug cartels attempting to establish manufacturing bases in Nigeria would be relentlessly pursued and dismantled.