A senior US official says Mexican drug cartels are looking to Africa as a new route for synthetic drugs. The warning follows the shutdown of four methamphetamine laboratories in Nigeria this year.
Michael Gonzales is the US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs for Africa and the Middle East. He spoke on Tuesday during a visit to the headquarters of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) in Abuja.
Gonzales said he took up his post four months ago. He chose Nigeria for his first trip because of its economic weight on the continent and the agency’s track record.
Why Washington Is Watching Africa
Gonzales praised the four lab busts as proof of strong intelligence work, teamwork between agencies and effective prosecution. He said the results also matter beyond Nigeria’s borders.
According to him, narcotics affect nearly every American community. He added that the drug trade ignores borders, so a seizure in Nigeria can ease pressure on markets elsewhere.
He also described the effect of America’s crackdown on cartels in the Western Hemisphere. In his words, it is like squeezing a balloon. Traffickers are pushed out and look for new routes through Africa to reach Europe and other markets.
Gonzales noted the global shift from plant-based drugs to synthetic ones. These drugs are harder to detect and may be deadlier. He said the response must target criminal groups as connected networks, including their money trails.
NDLEA Chairman Details the Lab Raids
The NDLEA chairman, Buba Marwa, said the raids point to a deliberate plan by Mexican cartels to make Nigeria a manufacturing base.
He listed the operations:
- Ogun State: Operatives raided the largest clandestine meth lab the agency has ever found in Nigeria. It was hidden in a forest in Ijebu East. Three Mexican meth experts and their Nigerian partners were arrested. Drugs worth over $360 million were recovered.
- Oyo State: About four weeks later, the agency hit another industrial-scale lab in Tapa Village. A Mexican expert and four Nigerian collaborators were arrested.
- Enugu and Ebonyi States: Similar labs were later shut down in both states. Marwa said they were also linked to the Mexican cartels.
Marwa said the cartels want a West African corridor. He claimed they plan to ship large volumes of meth to Europe, Asia and American cities, and that tougher US action against cartel traffic is pushing them to find other routes.
He also linked drugs to wider security threats. In his view, drug money buys guns, guns sustain armed groups and those groups fuel terrorism.
Five Years of Results and a Plea for Support
Marwa said US assistance has strengthened the agency’s forensic and chemical analysis, training, investigations, financial-crime detection and equipment maintenance.
Over the last five years, he said, the NDLEA has:
- arrested 96,157 drug offenders, including 250 drug barons;
- seized more than 15.8 million kilogrammes of illicit drugs; and
- secured 16,691 convictions, including kingpins.
Marwa warned that any withdrawal of US support would leave a gap that criminals and terrorists would exploit. He asked Gonzales to tell Washington to keep the assistance at current levels, or raise it.
