NDLEA Opposes Bail For 10 Defendants In Alleged N480bn Ogun Forest Meth Lab Case

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has urged the Federal High Court in Lagos to dismiss bail applications from 10 defendants accused of operating a clandestine methamphetamine laboratory in a forest in Ogun State.

The defendants were apprehended during a raid on the alleged illegal lab, where the agency claimed that methamphetamine and precursor chemicals worth an estimated N480 billion were involved.

The defendants are Anochili Innocent; Juan Carlos Meza Torrero; Nemecio Martinez Felix; Jesus Lopez Valles; Nwankwo Sunday Christian; Egwuonwu Uchenna Victor; Igwe Abuchi Remijus; Ifeanyichukwu Chibuike Joshua; Omonughwa Kingsley Orike; and Emeka Christopher Nwobum.

At the resumed hearing on Thursday, defence counsel, Chief Benson Ndakara, urged the trial judge, Justice Akintayo Aluko, to grant bail to the applicants, arguing that their continued detention was unjustifiable.

Ndakara told the judge he had approached the vacation court due to the urgency of the bail application, which concerned the fundamental rights of his clients, who are currently in custody.

In his affidavit supporting the application, he claimed that the defendant had travelled to the location to establish a poultry farm, piggery, and alcoholic wine manufacturing business.

The defendants further argued that the offences in the charge were bailable and expressed their willingness to provide reliable sureties if bail was granted.

They also raised health concerns, stating that some of their health conditions had worsened and required specialised medical attention.

However, the NDLEA, through its counsel, Buhari Abdullahi, argued that there was no exceptional urgency to justify the defendants’ decision to invoke the vacation court’s jurisdiction.

Abdullahi informed the court that the substantive charge had already been filed before Justice Musa Kakaki of the same Federal High Court, where the defendants had been arraigned, pleaded to the charges, and the court ordered an accelerated trial.

He added that the prosecution had already called its first witness, who had provided evidence.

The NDLEA also portrayed the defendants as flight risks, contending that granting bail could allow them to abscond and frustrate the trial.

The prosecution revealed that three of the defendants are Mexican nationals, with the first defendant, alleged to be the financier and organiser of the syndicate, holding both Nigerian and Mexican citizenship.

On health issues, Abdullahi argued that there was no evidence that any of the medical conditions were so severe as to be beyond the management of the correctional centre’s medical facilities.

He further explained that the charge stemmed from the activities of an organised network involved in illicit production, trafficking of methamphetamine, and the acquisition, transportation, and possession of precursor chemicals.

He noted that the diverse composition of the 10 defendants—three Mexican nationals and seven Nigerians—underscored the international and transnational nature of the criminal enterprise.

Abdullahi dismissed the defendants’ claim that they intended to use the property for poultry, piggery, and wine production, stating that NDLEA investigations revealed the clandestine lab at Iloti Village in Ogun State was owned, financed, and established by the first defendant specifically for illicit methamphetamine production.

He listed recovered items, including Propyl-2-Propanone (P2P), a major precursor chemical for methamphetamine, among the substances found.

The prosecutor maintained that physical, documentary, forensic, and laboratory evidence would be used at trial to establish the case.

He urged the court to dismiss the bail applications and order the defendants to remain in custody until the case is concluded.

After hearing both sides, Justice Akintayo Aluko adjourned ruling on the bail applications to 2 September 2026.

The defendants face an 11-count charge, filed by the NDLEA, relating to the alleged production and possession of 2,419.48 kilogrammes of methamphetamine and the unlawful possession and transportation of precursor chemicals.

The charge, in suit No. FHC/CR/430/2026 also alleges conspiracy to manufacture the illicit substance and operating a clandestine lab hidden in a forest in Mowe, Ijebu East Local Government Area of Ogun State. All defendants pleaded not guilty to the charges.