The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency has arraigned two alleged drug kingpins at the Federal High Court, Enugu Division, for colluding with a suspected Mexican drug cartel member, Rodriguez Villanueva, based in Mexico, to operate a methamphetamine laboratory in Obeagu, Awgu council area.

NDLEA spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, in a statement in Abuja on Thursday, said the pair was slammed with a five-count charge bordering on conspiracy, the organisation, management and financing of a drug trafficking organisation, and unlawful possession of precursor chemicals for methamphetamine production, contrary to the NDLEA Act.

Mr Babafemi said 45-year-old Chukwu Christopher, aka Brown, and 60-year-old Chukwu Monday, aka George, were arraigned before Justice Mabel Taiye Segun-Bello.

According to the NDLEA, the accused, named in the charge and currently at large, are Mr Villanueva, Uchenna, alias Uche, and Celestine Ikemefuna Iwuchukwu, adding that investigations by its Special Operations Unit revealed a sophisticated, transnational cartel operation.

Mr Babafemi stated, “Surveillance activities by NDLEA between first and fourth December, 2025, tracked Brown’s movements between Lagos, Enugu and Anambra states, ultimately leading operatives to a compound in Obeagu where a clandestine laboratory capable of producing methamphetamine in commercial quantities was uncovered. The lab, fitted with improvised reactors and distillation apparatus, mirrored similar facilities recently dismantled in Ogun, Oyo and Ebonyi.

“A search of the premises led to the recovery of vast quantities of precursor chemicals, including 690 litres of methylamine, 1,000 litres of isopropyl alcohol, 300 litres of hydrochloric acid, 290 litres each of toluene and acetone, 400 litres of liquid sodium hydroxide, 125 kilogrammes of N-phenylacetamide, 414 kilogrammes of lead acetate, and 769.6 kilogrammes of tartaric acid, among other controlled substances, a haul consistent with a high-potency, P2P-based methamphetamine manufacturing operation.”

According to the NDLEA statement, a related search of Mr George’s family residence revealed eight large fuel tanks, four commercial gas burners, four dehydrators, and 11 kilogrammes of ephedrine, further underscoring the scale of the cartel’s operations.

After the arraigned suspects made their plea, the judge scheduled their trial for October 21 following an application by the NDLEA for an accelerated hearing.