NDLEA uncovers Mexican cartels’ bid to set up meth labs in Ogun, Oyo forests

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has uncovered attempts by international drug cartels to establish large-scale methamphetamine production laboratories in forested areas of Ogun and Oyo states.

The agency said the emerging networks have links to Mexican criminal organisations seeking to expand their operations and establish a foothold in Nigeria’s illicit drug market.

NDLEA Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, disclosed this during an interview on Frontline, a current affairs programme on Eagle 102.5 FM, Ilese-Ijebu.

Babafemi said recent intelligence had revealed attempts by Nigerian and Mexican criminal networks to establish clandestine methamphetamine laboratories in forest locations.

“We’ve seen recently the collaboration between the Nigerian-Mexican cartels trying to have methamphetamine laboratories in the forests of Ogun and Oyo states,” he said.

According to him, the development reflects the increasingly transnational character of Nigeria’s illicit drug trade, with foreign criminal organisations seeking to establish local production and distribution networks.

He disclosed that a related operation in Ebonyi State had resulted in arrests, adding that the agency would provide further details after completing necessary investigative procedures.

Babafemi said the NDLEA was moving beyond conventional arrests and drug seizures to dismantle the structures, financial networks and logistics supporting organised drug trafficking.

NDLEA Targets International Trafficking Routes

The agency has also intensified surveillance of trafficking corridors following increased controls at airports, seaports and major highways.

Babafemi said traffickers were increasingly exploring alternative routes, including moving narcotics through neighbouring countries before attempting to smuggle them into Nigeria.

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He cited the recent dismantling of a cartel operating along the Togo-Benin Republic-Nigeria corridor, which he described as a significant route for the distribution of opioids and other illicit substances.

“We’re dismantling all their structures and disabling their capacity and capability, whether in terms of their financial backbone or their instrumentalities,” Babafemi said.

He added that the NDLEA was expanding its capacity to investigate drug trafficking conducted through digital platforms, including social media, cryptocurrency networks and the dark web.

According to him, intelligence gathered from social media platforms has already contributed to several arrests, while officers are receiving specialised training in financial investigations, asset tracing and recovery of proceeds suspected to be linked to narcotics trafficking.

Cocaine, Methamphetamine Shipments Intercepted

Babafemi further disclosed that the NDLEA Marine Command had intercepted consignments of cocaine, methamphetamine and cannabis on the high seas off Akwa Ibom State.

He said the shipment was allegedly destined for Cameroon.

The spokesman said personnel of the Marine Command had received training in countries including the United Kingdom, United States and Brazil, strengthening the agency’s capacity to monitor Nigeria’s waterways and support anti-narcotics operations at sea and around ports.

The NDLEA is also widening its focus to synthetic drugs, including methamphetamine and Captagon, alongside traditional narcotics such as cannabis, cocaine and tramadol.

Babafemi explained that cocaine is not produced domestically but originates largely from South America before being moved through African trafficking routes to Europe and other international markets.

He said the huge financial returns associated with narcotics trafficking continued to attract organised criminal groups.

According to him, the methamphetamine laboratory uncovered in an Ogun forest had the potential to produce drugs with an estimated street value approaching N500 billion.

NDLEA Promotes Alternative Livelihoods for Cannabis Farmers

In a separate initiative, the agency is implementing an Alternative Development Programme aimed at encouraging cannabis farmers to abandon illicit cultivation and adopt legitimate sources of livelihood.

Babafemi said the pilot programme was launched in three Ondo State communities — Ifon, Ilu-Abo and Eleyewo — where cannabis growers were encouraged to engage in activities such as poultry farming and fishing.

He said the initiative was designed to provide sustainable economic alternatives for communities dependent on cannabis cultivation while reducing their exposure to criminal activities and law enforcement operations.

According to him, the programme has entered a second phase, with the initial results described as encouraging.

NDLEA Strengthens Personnel Protection

Babafemi also disclosed that the agency was improving the operational capacity and welfare of its personnel in response to growing threats from organised drug syndicates.

He said officers had received specialised training and benefited from life and injury insurance, improved protective equipment and operational vehicles.

The agency has also acquired additional arms, ammunition and night-vision equipment, while modern rifles have been introduced into its armoury to enhance officers’ protection during operations.

Babafemi said residential facilities were also being developed in strategic locations to protect NDLEA personnel and their families from possible retaliation by traffickers.

He disclosed that accommodation facilities were already available in Yola, Adamawa State, while projects were ongoing in Lagos, Abuja and Enugu.

The NDLEA spokesman said the agency would continue targeting criminal networks attempting to exploit Nigeria’s forests, waterways, digital platforms and international trafficking corridors.

“We’re winning,” Babafemi said, maintaining that intensified operations were shrinking the spaces previously exploited by drug traffickers.