US Warns Mexican Drug Cartels Targeting Nigeria as Meth Hub

The United States has warned that Mexican drug cartels are increasingly targeting Africa as an alternative trafficking route for synthetic drugs, raising concerns over Nigeria’s emergence as a potential methamphetamine manufacturing hub.

The warning follows the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency’s (NDLEA) dismantling of four methamphetamine laboratories in Nigeria this year.

The US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs for Africa and the Middle East, Michael Gonzales, issued the warning on Tuesday during a visit to the NDLEA headquarters in Abuja.

Gonzales commended the agency for its counter-narcotics operations, describing its recent successes as evidence of effective intelligence gathering, inter-agency cooperation and coordinated enforcement efforts.

He said Nigeria’s strategic position and the NDLEA’s record of achievements informed his decision to make the country his first destination since assuming office four months ago.

According to the US official, increased American pressure on drug cartels operating in the Western Hemisphere is forcing traffickers to explore alternative routes through Africa to reach markets in Europe and other regions.

He likened the development to “squeezing a balloon,” explaining that intensified enforcement against criminal networks in one region could push their operations into other parts of the world.

Gonzales also warned that the growing shift from plant-based drugs to synthetic substances such as methamphetamine presents additional challenges for law enforcement agencies because of their potential dangers and the difficulties involved in detecting them.

He stressed the need for stronger international cooperation, urging countries to target criminal organisations as interconnected networks, including their financial operations.

In his response, NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brigadier General Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), said the agency’s recent operations had uncovered what he described as a deliberate attempt by Mexican drug cartels to establish Nigeria as a manufacturing base for methamphetamine.

The development has heightened concerns over the growing threat of transnational drug trafficking and the need for sustained intelligence-led operations to prevent Nigeria from becoming a major production and transit point for synthetic drugs.