The United States has commended the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) for dismantling four methamphetamine laboratories linked to Mexican drug cartels in Nigeria this year.
The commendation was given on Tuesday by Michael Gonzales, US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) for Africa and the Middle East, during a visit to the agency’s national headquarters in Abuja.
Gonzales, who was received by NDLEA Chairman, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), described Nigeria as the ideal destination for his first foreign visit since assuming office four months ago, citing the country’s economic influence and the agency’s operational achievements.
He said the four laboratory busts demonstrated effective intelligence gathering, cross-border cooperation, investigations and prosecutions.
Gonzales also warned that intensified US pressure on drug cartels in the Western Hemisphere could redirect trafficking operations towards Africa, Europe and other regions, stressing that the international drug trade required stronger cooperation among law enforcement agencies.
In his remarks, Marwa said the four laboratories were uncovered in Ogun, Oyo, Enugu and Ebonyi states, describing the discoveries as evidence of attempts by Mexican cartels to establish Nigeria as a methamphetamine manufacturing hub.
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He disclosed that NDLEA operatives dismantled what he described as Nigeria’s largest clandestine methamphetamine laboratory in a forest in Ijebu East, Ogun State, arresting three Mexican nationals and their Nigerian collaborators. Illicit substances valued at more than $360 million were reportedly recovered.
About four weeks later, operatives raided another industrial-scale laboratory in Tapa Village, Oyo State, arresting a Mexican methamphetamine expert and four Nigerian collaborators. Similar facilities were subsequently dismantled in Enugu and Ebonyi states.
Marwa said the cartels intended to use West Africa as a corridor for transporting large quantities of methamphetamine to Europe, Asia and the United States.
He described the cooperation between the NDLEA, the US INL and the US Drug Enforcement Administration as essential to combating drug trafficking, illicit arms movement and terrorism financing.
According to Marwa, support from the US has strengthened the agency’s forensic analysis, training and operational capabilities.
He said the NDLEA had arrested 96,157 drug offenders, including 250 major traffickers, seized more than 15.8 million kilogrammes of illicit drugs and secured 16,691 convictions over the past five years.
The NDLEA chairman warned that withdrawing US assistance could create gaps that criminal networks might exploit, urging Gonzales to recommend that Washington maintain or increase its support for the agency.
Gonzales reaffirmed the importance of international cooperation, noting that narcotics trafficking affects communities in both Nigeria and the United States and requires coordinated efforts across national borders.
