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NDLEA and Nigeria Customs intensify crackdown on drug trafficking and cartel finances
Nigeria's National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) and the Nigeria Customs Service have reported significant successes in anti-narcotics operations. In Lagos, the Customs Federal Operations Unit Zone A intercepted illicit drugs and pharmaceutical products, including cannabis, methamphetamine, and tramadol, valued at approximately N3.95 billion. These substances, along with mercury seized for environmental protection, were handed over to the NDLEA for prosecution.
In Edo State, NDLEA operatives arrested 68 suspected traffickers and seized over 7,531kg of narcotics during August 2026. The operations included the destruction of four cannabis farms spanning 2.57 hectares. Additionally, the agency has identified attempts by Mexican-linked criminal networks to establish industrial-scale methamphetamine laboratories in the forests of Ogun and Oyo states, signaling a shift from Nigeria being a transit hub to a potential production site.
In response to these evolving threats, NDLEA Chairman Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd) has directed investigators to shift focus toward dismantling the financial structures of drug cartels. He emphasized that arresting couriers is insufficient if the financiers and their illicit wealth remain untouched. The agency is prioritizing asset tracing, forfeiture, and the recovery of proceeds through advanced financial investigations to make narcotics trafficking a high-risk, low-profit enterprise.
Entities
Abuja · Edo State · Federal High Court · Lagos · Mohamed Buba Marwa · National Drug Law Enforcement Agency · Nigeria Customs Service
Claims
What the coverage asserts, and how many sources carry each claim.
- [● 3 SOURCES] Drug trafficking is an economic enterprise sustained by financiers, facilitators, and money launderers. newsnowonline.com.ng · newscentraltv.com
- [● 3 SOURCES] The NDLEA will focus on tracing, seizing, and recovering assets linked to drug trafficking. newsnowonline.com.ng · newscentraltv.com
- [● 3 SOURCES] The NDLEA held an Advanced Capacity Building Programme on financial investigations and asset tracing in Abuja. newsnowonline.com.ng · newscentraltv.com
- [● 3 SOURCES] Criminal networks are using cryptocurrencies, technology, and complex corporate structures to hide illicit wealth. newsnowonline.com.ng · newscentraltv.com