The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arraigned a 63-year-old alleged drug baron, Anochili Innocent, three Mexican nationals and six other Nigerians over an alleged ₦480 billion methamphetamine laboratory uncovered in Ogun State.
The 10 defendants were arraigned before Justice Musa Kakaki of the Federal High Court in Lagos on an 11-count charge bordering on the establishment of a clandestine laboratory and the production of 2,419.48 kilograms of methamphetamine.
According to the development disclosed in a statement issued by the NDLEA Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi. The methamphetamine, valued at over ₦480 billion on the international market, was produced at a laboratory located in Mowe village, Ijebu East Local Government Area of Ogun State.
The defendants are Anochili Innocent, 63; Juan Carlos Meza Torrero, 49; Nemecio Martinez Felix, 46; Jesus López Valles, 40; Nwankwo Sunday Christian, 41; Egwuonwu Uchenna Victor, 38; Igwe Abuchi Remijus, 43; Ifeanyichukwu Chibuike Joshua, 23; Omonughwa Kingsley Orike, 45; and Nwobum Emeka, 59.
They were arraigned on Friday, July 10, 2026, following their arrests during coordinated NDLEA operations in Ogun and Lagos states between May 16 and 18, 2026.
The agency said Nwankwo, Igwe, Ifeanyichukwu and Egwuonwu were arrested alongside the three Mexican nationals at the alleged clandestine laboratory hidden in Mowe forest on May 16.
An alleged mastermind of the operation, Anochili, was arrested simultaneously at his residence in the Lakowe area of Lagos State, according to the agency.
In follow-up operations on May 18, NDLEA operatives arrested Omonughwa at another property in Lakowe, while Nwobum was arrested after investigators traced another property allegedly used as the cartel’s strategic stash house.
NDLEA Details Charges Against Suspects
The NDLEA prosecution team accused the defendants of conspiring between February and May 16, 2026, to establish a clandestine laboratory for the preparation, processing and production of methamphetamine, contrary to Section 14(b) of the NDLEA Act.
Other charges include allegedly managing, organising and financing a drug trafficking organisation, unlawfully transporting precursor chemicals from Lagos to the Mowe laboratory, and the unlawful production and possession of 2,419.48kg of methamphetamine.
The agency said chemicals allegedly recovered from the laboratory included 358kg of toluene, 1,834kg of hydrochloric acid and 22.5kg of acetone, alongside quantities of phenyl-2-propane and phenyl acetic acid.
An alleged separate charge was filed against Anochili, whom the NDLEA described as the owner of the land where the laboratory was located. He was accused of unlawfully allowing his property to be used for the production of illicit drugs.
All 10 defendants pleaded not guilty to the charges.
The prosecution sought to call seven witnesses to begin the trial, but the defence requested more time. The court subsequently ordered that the defendants be remanded in a Lagos correctional centre.
The case was adjourned to July 16 and 22, 2026, for trial and the hearing of the defendants’ bail applications.
Reacting to the arraignment, NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), described the case as one of the most significant dismantlings of an industrial-scale narcotics production operation on Nigerian soil.
Marwa said the presence of Mexican nationals among those arraigned highlighted the transnational nature of drug trafficking networks allegedly attempting to use Nigeria as a manufacturing base for onward export.
“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,” Marwa said.
He reiterated the agency’s commitment to dismantling drug cartels and their local networks while urging members of the public to continue providing useful information to support NDLEA operations nationwide.
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