The United States has commended the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) for dismantling four clandestine methamphetamine laboratories allegedly linked to Mexican drug cartels in Nigeria, describing the operations as evidence of effective intelligence gathering, inter-agency coordination and international cooperation in the fight against illicit drug trafficking.
The commendation was delivered by Michael Gonzales, the 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 NDLEA national headquarters in Abuja on Tuesday, October 20, 2026.
Gonzales, who was received by the NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), alongside members of the agency’s management team, said he selected Nigeria as his first destination after assuming office four months ago because of the country’s strategic importance in Africa and the agency’s operational achievements.
He explained that his visit was intended to provide firsthand insight into the NDLEA’s progress in combating illicit drug production and trafficking.
“When I was thinking where does it make the most sense to visit first, Nigeria was a clear answer,” Gonzales said.
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He attributed his decision to Nigeria’s position as a major economic power on the continent, the leadership of the NDLEA and the results achieved by the agency in collaboration with other law enforcement partners.
According to him, the four methamphetamine laboratory busts recorded by the agency in 2026 demonstrated the value of intelligence-led operations, cross-border cooperation, effective investigations and successful prosecution of drug-related offences.
Gonzales stressed that sustained cooperation between Nigeria and the United States remained critical to confronting international drug trafficking networks, noting that the illicit narcotics trade continued to have devastating consequences for communities and families across both countries.
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“The work of INL and the NDLEA fundamentally delivers for the Nigerian people, as for the American people,” he said.
He added that the United States had maintained international counter-narcotics partnerships for more than four decades, with assistance to Nigeria including professional training and equipment donations.
The US official also warned that increased pressure on drug cartels operating in the Western Hemisphere could encourage criminal organisations to explore alternative trafficking routes through Africa, potentially targeting markets in Europe and Oceania.
He called for sustained efforts against transnational criminal organizations, particularly through investigations into the financial networks that support their activities.
NDLEA Details Four Methamphetamine Laboratory Raids
Speaking during the meeting, Marwa described the partnership between the NDLEA, the US INL and the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) as a shared investment in the security of Nigeria and the United States.
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He said drug trafficking, illicit arms movement and terrorist financing were interconnected threats that required coordinated responses across international borders.
“Crime has no borders, and neither does the threat. The drugs we seize, the arms we intercept and the terrorist financing we trace are not separate problems,” Marwa said.
The NDLEA chairman explained that proceeds from illicit drug trafficking could be used to purchase weapons, sustain armed groups and finance terrorist activities. He warned that insecurity in the Sahel and the Lake Chad Basin had implications extending beyond the immediate regions.
Providing details of the laboratory seizures, Marwa said the first facility was discovered in a forest in Ijebu East, Ogun State. He described it as the largest clandestine methamphetamine laboratory ever discovered in Nigeria.
The operation led to the arrest of three Mexican methamphetamine experts and their Nigerian collaborators, while illicit substances valued at more than $360 million were reportedly recovered.
About four weeks later, NDLEA operatives raided another industrial-scale methamphetamine laboratory in Tapa Village, Oyo State, arresting a Mexican methamphetamine expert and four Nigerian collaborators.
The agency subsequently dismantled similar facilities in Enugu and Ebonyi states.
Marwa said the discoveries pointed to what the agency regarded as an attempt by Mexican drug cartels to establish Nigeria as a production and distribution hub for methamphetamine.
“Let me be plain about why this matters to Washington. These cartels are not setting up in our forests to supply Nigerian consumers alone. They want a West African corridor to ship industrial quantities of methamphetamine to Europe, to Asia, and to American cities,” he said.
He added that intensified enforcement against drug trafficking routes into the United States could be encouraging criminal networks to explore alternative routes through other regions.
Marwa maintained that NDLEA operatives, investigators and forensic experts were helping prevent illicit drugs from reaching communities in Nigeria, the United States and other parts of the world.
Marwa Seeks Sustained US Assistance
The NDLEA chairman said support from the United States had strengthened the agency’s capacity in forensic and chemical analysis, professional training, financial crime investigations and equipment maintenance.
He disclosed that the agency had arrested 96,157 drug offenders in the past five years, including 250 alleged drug barons. During the same period, it seized more than 15.8 million kilogrammes of assorted illicit drugs and secured 16,691 convictions against drug traffickers.
Marwa described the figures as evidence of the results achieved through sustained enforcement and international cooperation.
“This great partnership has fueled our offensives that yielded the arrest of 96,157 drug offenders, including 250 drug barons, the seizure of over 15.8 million kilogrammes of assorted illicit drugs and conviction of 16,691 drug traffickers, including the kingpins, in the last five years,” he said.
He, however, warned that any withdrawal of US INL assistance could create operational gaps that criminal networks and terrorist groups might exploit.
He therefore appealed to Gonzales to convey to the US government the need to maintain existing support for the NDLEA and consider expanding the assistance available to the agency.
Marwa reiterated that drug traffickers, arms dealers and terrorist groups continued to operate across national boundaries, making sustained international partnerships essential to disrupting their networks, cutting off illicit financing and strengthening regional security.
The visit underscored the importance both countries attach to counter-narcotics cooperation as authorities seek to prevent the expansion of transnational drug production and trafficking networks in Nigeria and across West Africa.
