Oyo court remands two Mexicans, four Nigerians over alleged drug dealing
By Adejayan Gbenga
Two Mexican nationals and four Nigerians have been remanded at the Agodi Correctional Centre in Ibadan following their arraignment over the operation of an illegal industrial-scale methamphetamine laboratory.
The suspects—Jose Ochoa, Carrera Arturo, Bankole Owolabi, Ganiyu Monsiu, Yusuf Akanbi, and Maxwell Nevoh—were brought before the Federal High Court by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency on a four-count charge.
The prosecution alleged that the defendants conspired between December 2025 and June 2026 to set up a clandestine laboratory across Lagos and Oyo states to unlawfully process, transport, and distribute 1.260 kilogrammes of the controlled substance.
Furthermore, the agency charged the syndicate with illegally manufacturing 1.250 kilogrammes of methamphetamine on 17 June 2026 at Tapa Village in the Ibarapa Local Government Area of Oyo State, as well as holding the substance without lawful authority.
Responding to the charges, all six defendants entered a plea of not guilty before the presiding judge, Justice Nkeone Maha.
Seeking their continued detention, NDLEA prosecuting counsel Adekunle Adebajo requested an adjournment to begin the trial, whilst defense counsel Echeme Ekeghe highlighted that his client, Ochoa, is diabetic and will file an application regarding his remand facility.
With no opposition to the remand order from the remaining defense lawyers, Justice Maha directed that the defendants be held at the Agodi facility, ordered the prosecution to supply the proof of evidence, and adjourned the trial to 26–29 January 2027.
The court proceedings followed a series of law enforcement operations that began on 17 June 2026 with the dismantling of a fortified forest laboratory in Oyo State, followed by the arrest of the final suspect, Arturo, at Murtala Muhammed International Airport in September 2026.
