A Nigerian man accused of leading the country’s largest clandestine methamphetamine operation and three Mexican nationals have been remanded in custody after appearing before the Federal High Court in Lagos on an 11-count drug trafficking charge.
Prosecutors allege that 63-year-old Anochili Innocent financed and directed a syndicate that produced 2,419.48 kilograms of methamphetamine, valued at about $363 million on the international market. The drugs were allegedly manufactured at a concealed laboratory in the Mowe forest in Ogun State’s Ijebu East Local Government Area.
Innocent was arraigned alongside Juan Carlos Meza Torrero, Nemecio Martinez Felix and Jesus López Valles, as well as six other Nigerians accused of belonging to the same network.
According to the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), the arrests followed coordinated raids in Lagos and neighbouring Ogun State between May 16 and 18 after months of surveillance. Investigators said the laboratory was hidden inside what appeared to be an ordinary farm. Seven suspects, including the three Mexicans, were arrested at the site, while Innocent was picked up separately at his home on Tafawa Balewa Street in Golf Estate, Lakowe, Lekki.
The agency said officers recovered passports and mobile phones belonging to the Mexican suspects from Innocent’s residence, evidence they believe links him to the foreign nationals.
Additional raids on May 18 led to the arrest of Kingsley Orike Omonughwa and Emeka Nwobum at a property in Mayfair Estate, Lekki, and at what investigators described as the syndicate’s stash house, bringing the total number of suspects in custody to 10.
All 10 defendants pleaded not guilty to charges that include operating an illegal drug laboratory, manufacturing methamphetamine and drug trafficking. Justice Musa Kakaki ordered that they remain in custody and adjourned the case to July 16 for the hearing of their bail applications and July 22 for trial.
NDLEA Chairman Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa described the operation as one of the agency’s biggest successes against industrial-scale drug production in Nigeria. He said the involvement of Mexican nationals highlights the growing reach of international drug cartels into the country and vowed that the agency would continue dismantling such networks regardless of how well organised or financed they are.
The case adds to concerns that Nigeria is increasingly being used as a manufacturing hub for narcotics destined for international markets, rather than serving only as a transit route. A similar case emerged in 2016 when the NDLEA dismantled a meth laboratory in Asaba, Delta State, and arrested four Mexican nationals. In 2022, they were each sentenced to 10 years in prison after a judge rejected an earlier plea agreement as too lenient.
By: Andrews Kwesi Yeboah