A 63-year-old alleged drug kingpin, Anochili Innocent, alongside three Mexican nationals and six Nigerians, has been arraigned on an 11-count charge before Justice Musa Kakaki of the Federal High Court in Lagos.
The charges relate to the establishment of a secret super-laboratory and the production of 2,419.48 kilograms of methamphetamine - valued at about N480 billion on the international market - at Mowe village in 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 (the three Mexicans); and Nigerians 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 arrests by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) during coordinated raids in Ogun and Lagos states between May 16 and May 18, 2026.
According to the NDLEA, operatives discovered the clandestine laboratory deep inside Mowe forest, Ijebu East LGA, on May 16.
Those arrested at the site included Nwankwo Sunday Christian, Igwe Abuchi Remijus, Ifeanyichukwu Chibuike Joshua, Egwuonwu Uchenna Victor, and the three Mexican nationals - Martinez Felix Nemecio, Jesus López Valles, and Juan Carlos Torrero.
The alleged cartel mastermind, Anochili Innocent, was arrested the same day at his luxury home at No. 8 Tafawa Balewa Street, Golf Estate, Lakowe, Lekki, Lagos.
A follow-up NDLEA operation on May 18 led agents to another property owned by Anochili at House 70, Close 3, Mayfair Estate, Lakowe, where key syndicate member Kingsley Orike Omonughwa was arrested.
Investigators also raided the residence of Emeka Nwobum, whose property was reportedly used as the cartel’s stash house, and detained him that same day, the agency’s statement, signed by Director of Media and Advocacy Femi Babafemi, said.
The 11-count charge, filed by the NDLEA prosecution team accuses the defendants of conspiring, between February and May 16, 2026, to establish a clandestine laboratory for the preparation, processing and production of methamphetamine, in violation of Section 14(b) of the NDLEA Act.
Other counts include managing, organising and financing a drug trafficking organisation contrary to Section 20(1)(g); unlawfully transporting precursor chemicals, including toluene, phenyl-2-propane (P2P), phenyl acetic acid, acetone and hydrochloric acid, from Lagos to the Mowe laboratory using a Toyota Tacoma, a Mercedes Benz marked APP 942 YL and a Toyota Highlander marked GWA 662DJ, contrary to Section 20(1)(f); and the unlawful production and possession of the 2,419.48kg haul of methamphetamine, contrary to Sections 11(a) and 19 of the Act respectively.
The charge sheet further details the separate possession of large quantities of precursor chemicals recovered at the laboratory, including 358kg of toluene, 1,834kg of hydrochloric acid and 22.5kg of acetone, alongside quantities of P2P and phenyl acetic acid, all contrary to Section 20(1)(e) of the NDLEA Act.
In a count peculiar to only the kingpin, Anochili Innocent, described by the Agency as the owner of the fenced expanse of land on which the super lab was sited, was charged separately under Section 12 of the NDLEA Act for unlawfully allowing his property to be used for the production of the illicit drug.
All ten defendants pleaded not guilty to the charges when they were read before Justice Kakaki. The prosecution thereafter called seven witnesses to commence trial, having served the defence the proof of evidence since July 3, 2026, but the defence objected asking for more time. The court consequently ordered that the defendants be remanded in the Correctional Centre Lagos with the case adjourned to July 16 and 22 for trial and hearing of the application for bail.
Speaking on the arraignment, Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig Gen Mohamed Buba Marwa (rtd), according to the press release, said the case represents one of the most significant dismantling of an industrial-scale narcotics production operation on Nigerian soil, underscoring the increasingly transnational character of drug trafficking networks now desperate to exploit 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, but the Agency will not relent in tracking down and dismantling every such network, no matter how well concealed or well-financed,” Marwa stated.
He reiterated NDLEA’s commitment to ridding Nigeria of drug cartels and their local collaborators, calling on members of the public to continue providing useful information to support the Agency's operations nationwide.
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