NDLEA, Australia Move To Disrupt Cocaine, Meth Trafficking

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) and the Australian Federal Police (AFP) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to strengthen intelligence sharing, joint operations and coordinated efforts against transnational drug trafficking networks operating along the Nigeria-Australia route.

The agreement, signed at the NDLEA national headquarters in Abuja on Monday, is aimed at disrupting organised criminal groups involved in the trafficking of cocaine and methamphetamine between the two countries.

NDLEA chairman, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Marwa (retd.), described the agreement as a declaration of war against international drug cartels, warning that traffickers would no longer find safe havens between continents.

He expressed confidence that the partnership would make the Nigeria-Australia drug route increasingly difficult and unprofitable for criminal networks.

Under the agreement, both agencies will collaborate in four major areas: intelligence and information exchange, joint and coordinated operations, capacity building and professional development, as well as controlled delivery of illicit drugs to facilitate the identification and arrest of members of trafficking networks.

Marwa said the agreement had become necessary because drug trafficking was increasingly transnational, organised and sophisticated, with Nigerian criminal networks becoming linked to drug routes connecting Australia and the Pacific region.

He noted that Nigeria was being exploited as both a transit and sourcing hub for illicit substances, particularly methamphetamine and cocaine, stressing that no country could effectively tackle the problem in isolation.

“We hope that this MoU being signed today will lead to major joint seizures, arrests of high-value targets, and successful controlled deliveries,” he said.

The NDLEA chairman said the agreement would be renewable and called for its immediate implementation to produce operational results.

Citing recent enforcement successes, Marwa disclosed that the agency had intercepted 184.5 kilogrammes of cocaine intended for export and dismantled four methamphetamine laboratories in recent months.

He said Mexican nationals were found to be embedded in some of the illicit drug production operations, while one of the laboratories yielded seizures valued at more than $360million.

Marwa also cited the dismantling of a Switzerland-based drug cartel allegedly operated by a Nigerian, Simon Amadi, following more than a year of joint investigations involving the United States Drug Enforcement Administration, as well as police authorities in France, Greece and Switzerland.

He said the cartel’s assets in Nigeria had also been targeted as part of efforts to weaken the financial structures sustaining international drug trafficking.

Speaking at the ceremony, head of the Australian Federal Police delegation, Ms Sandra Booth said the partnership would strengthen international efforts to tackle organised crime and its wider consequences.

She commended the NDLEA for adopting an approach that addresses drug-related problems through prevention and enforcement, describing the existing international relationships built by the Nigerian agency as commendable.

Booth said the agreement would serve as a force multiplier in tackling what she described as an abhorrent trade.

She warned that organised criminal groups were increasingly using proceeds from drug trafficking to finance other serious crimes through what she termed a “crime as a service” model.

According to her, vulnerable young people were being recruited to deliver and transport illicit drugs, while some were drawn into violent attacks against rival criminal groups.

She said the consequences extended beyond drug addiction to include family breakdown, community instability, gang violence and deaths in Australia.

“Whilst Nigeria is a transit country, we are a destination country. And unfortunately for us, people will pay a lot of money for the commodity,” she said.

The AFP representative explained that Australia was interested in working closely with Nigeria to prevent illicit drugs from reaching its territory and protect young people and vulnerable communities.

She emphasised the need for both countries to demonstrate commitment, integrity and determination in pursuing criminal networks across international borders.

“It is so absolutely necessary that we work together as a team, that we are forceful, that we are committed, that we show integrity, and we hunt as a pack. And I am very proud that we can now be part of your pack,” Booth said.