The United States has warned that Mexican drug cartels are seeking to establish Nigeria as a major manufacturing hub for methamphetamine, raising concerns about the country’s potential use as a transit corridor for supplying international markets.

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

Gonzales commended Nigeria’s anti-drug agency for its recent operations against transnational trafficking networks and called for continued cooperation between both countries to combat the illicit drug trade.

NDLEA Dismantles Four Methamphetamine Laboratories

NDLEA Chairman, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), said the agency had dismantled four clandestine methamphetamine laboratories linked to Mexican drug cartels in Ogun, Oyo, Enugu and Ebonyi states.

According to Marwa, the first operation uncovered what he described as the largest clandestine methamphetamine laboratory discovered in Nigeria, located in a forested area of Ijebu East, Ogun State.

The operation led to the arrest of Mexican nationals described as methamphetamine experts and their Nigerian collaborators. The agency said substances valued at more than $360 million were recovered from the facility.

A subsequent operation uncovered another industrial-scale laboratory in Tapa village, Oyo State, where a Mexican national and four Nigerian collaborators were reportedly arrested.

Similar facilities were later dismantled in Enugu and Ebonyi states, according to the NDLEA.

Cartels Allegedly Seek West African Trafficking Corridor

Marwa said the discoveries indicated that the criminal networks were attempting to establish Nigeria as a production base for methamphetamine intended for markets outside the country.

He alleged that the cartels planned to use West Africa as a corridor for transporting industrial quantities of the drug to Europe, Asia and the United States.

The NDLEA chairman warned that the proceeds of drug trafficking could also support other criminal activities, including arms trafficking and terrorism financing.

He said drug trafficking, illicit arms movements and terrorist financing were interconnected security threats requiring coordinated action across national borders.

US Calls for Stronger International Cooperation

Gonzales praised the NDLEA’s operational achievements, describing the dismantling of the laboratories as evidence of the importance of intelligence gathering, inter-agency coordination and international cooperation.

He said Nigeria was an important partner in international counter-narcotics efforts and explained that pressure on criminal networks in the Western Hemisphere could push traffickers to explore alternative routes through Africa.

The US official also stressed the importance of investigating the financial networks that support transnational criminal organisations.

Washington has supported Nigeria’s counter-narcotics efforts through training, equipment and technical assistance, including support for forensic analysis and financial investigations.

NDLEA Seeks Sustained US Support

Marwa called for continued American assistance to strengthen Nigeria’s capacity to investigate and disrupt international drug trafficking networks.

He said cooperation between the NDLEA, the US Department of State’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs and the US Drug Enforcement Administration had helped improve Nigeria’s ability to identify and dismantle sophisticated drug operations.

The agency chairman also warned that profits from the illicit drug trade could be channelled into activities that threaten regional stability.

Nigeria’s Role in the Global Drug Trade

The latest warning comes amid growing concerns about West Africa’s role in international drug trafficking, both as a transit region and as a location for illicit drug production.

The NDLEA’s discovery of industrial-scale methamphetamine laboratories has heightened concerns that international criminal networks may seek to establish production facilities closer to emerging trafficking routes.

The agency said it would continue intelligence-led operations against local and international drug networks, while working with foreign partners to prevent the manufacture and distribution of illicit substances.