US WARNS MEXICAN CARTELS ARE TARGETING NIGERIA FOR METH PRODUCTION

The United States has warned that Mexican drug cartels are seeking to turn Nigeria into a manufacturing base for methamphetamine, with plans to use West Africa as a route for transporting the drug to international markets.

Michael Gonzales, US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs for Africa and the Middle East, gave the warning on Tuesday, October 20, 2026, during a visit to the headquarters of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) in Abuja.

Gonzales said the agency’s dismantling of four methamphetamine laboratories in Nigeria this year demonstrated the growing threat posed by international drug trafficking networks and the importance of cooperation between Nigerian and US authorities.

He explained that increased pressure on drug cartels operating in the Western Hemisphere could be forcing them to explore alternative routes through Africa to reach markets in Europe, Asia, and the United States.

According to him, efforts to disrupt drug trafficking routes into the US have pushed criminal networks to seek other locations for their operations.

“These were not isolated incidents. They show a deliberate attempt to turn Nigeria into a manufacturing hub,” Gonzales said, referring to the methamphetamine laboratories uncovered by Nigerian authorities.

He added that the cartels were not establishing operations in Nigeria solely to supply local drug users but were seeking to transport large quantities of methamphetamine to international markets.

 

Gonzales praised the NDLEA for its intelligence-led operations and said the agency’s work was important to the security of both Nigeria and the United States. He also highlighted the role of forensic experts, investigators, and tactical teams in identifying and disrupting drug production and trafficking networks.

The NDLEA Chairman, Brigadier General Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), said the agency’s recent operations had exposed what he described as a deliberate attempt by Mexican drug cartels to establish methamphetamine production facilities in Nigeria.

Marwa said the agency had dismantled laboratories in Ogun, Oyo, Enugu and Ebonyi states, with investigations revealing links between Nigerian collaborators and Mexican nationals suspected of involvement in the operations.

One of the operations in Ogun State led to the discovery of an industrial-scale laboratory in a forested area, where three Mexican nationals and seven Nigerian collaborators were arrested in May 2026. The agency subsequently reported other operations targeting suspected methamphetamine production networks in different parts of the country.

 

Marwa warned that the activities of transnational criminal organisations extended beyond drug trafficking, noting that the proceeds could also support illegal arms dealing and other security threats.

 

“Crime has no borders, and neither does the threat,” he said, explaining that drug trafficking, weapons smuggling and terrorism could reinforce one another.

 

The NDLEA chairman also called on the United States to maintain or increase its support for the agency. He said American assistance had strengthened its capacity in forensic and chemical analysis, professional training, financial investigations, and equipment maintenance.

 

According to Marwa, the agency had arrested 96,157 drug offenders, including 250 drug barons, seized more than 15.8 million kilograms of assorted illicit drugs, and secured 16,691 convictions over the past five years.

 

He warned that a reduction in international support could create gaps that criminal networks might exploit, arguing that governments needed to cooperate more closely as traffickers increasingly operated across national borders.

 

The US warning comes amid a series of NDLEA operations against suspected Nigerian-Mexican drug networks. In September 2026, the agency announced the discovery of another clandestine methamphetamine laboratory in Enugu State and said investigations had uncovered links between local suspects and a Mexican national allegedly connected to a cartel.