RismadarVoice Reporters
October 21, 2026
The United States Government has commended the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) for dismantling four clandestine methamphetamine laboratories allegedly linked to Mexican drug cartels operating in Nigeria.
The commendation came during a visit by the United States Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs for Africa and the Middle East, Michael Gonzales, to the NDLEA headquarters in Abuja on Tuesday, October 20.
Gonzales was received by the agency’s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brigadier General Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), alongside senior officials.
According to a statement issued by the NDLEA’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, the American official praised the agency’s intelligence-gathering capabilities, operational coordination and cooperation with international security partners.
Gonzales said he selected Nigeria as his first official destination after assuming office four months earlier because of its strategic importance and the NDLEA’s achievements in combating transnational drug trafficking.
He described the dismantling of four methamphetamine laboratories in 2026 as evidence of effective intelligence-led investigations and cross-border collaboration.
The US official warned that increasing pressure on drug cartels in the Western Hemisphere could force criminal organisations to establish alternative production facilities and trafficking routes through Africa.
He consequently called for stronger international cooperation, particularly in investigating the financial networks supporting organised criminal activities.
Responding, Marwa disclosed that the agency had dismantled suspected cartel-linked laboratories in Ogun, Oyo, Enugu and Ebonyi states.
He said the largest facility was discovered in a forest in Ijebu East, Ogun State, where operatives arrested three Mexican methamphetamine specialists and several Nigerian collaborators.
According to the NDLEA chairman, substances valued at more than $360 million were recovered during the operation.
Marwa further revealed that another industrial-scale facility was uncovered at Tapa village in Oyo State, where a Mexican suspect and four Nigerian collaborators were arrested.
Similar operations were subsequently carried out in Enugu and Ebonyi states.
The NDLEA chairman warned that the discoveries suggested attempts by international drug trafficking organisations to establish Nigeria as a production centre for synthetic drugs destined for overseas markets.
He also highlighted the relationship between drug trafficking, illegal arms transactions and terrorist financing, stressing that criminal networks frequently operate across national borders.
Marwa disclosed that the agency had arrested 96,157 suspected drug offenders, including 250 alleged drug barons, over the past five years.
He added that the NDLEA had seized more than 15.8 million kilogrammes of assorted illicit drugs and secured 16,691 convictions during the same period.
The agency’s chairman credited cooperation with the United States Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs and the Drug Enforcement Administration for improvements in forensic analysis, professional training and investigative capabilities.
He urged Washington to sustain or increase its assistance, warning that reduced international support could weaken efforts to disrupt transnational criminal networks.
Marwa maintained that continued intelligence sharing, technical assistance and coordinated enforcement would remain essential to preventing Nigeria from becoming a production and trafficking hub for international drug syndicates.
