News Investigators/ The United States has commended the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) for dismantling four methamphetamine laboratories in Nigeria in 2026.
Michael Gonzales, U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) for Africa and the Middle East, gave the commendation in Abuja on Tuesday.
This is contained in a statement issued by NDLEA spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, and made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).
Mr Gonzales spoke during a courtesy visit to the agency, where he was received by its Chairman, Buba Marwa, and members of the management team.
He said the laboratory busts demonstrated the agency’s effective use of intelligence-led investigations, inter-agency cooperation and operational expertise.
He also praised the NDLEA’s investigative and prosecutorial efforts, describing them as essential to disrupting international drug trafficking networks.
He said: “Narcotics remain a major concern for American communities, while the international drug trade operates across borders with few constraints.
“The work that INL does in the United States and globally, and the work that NDLEA does, fundamentally delivers for the Nigerian people and the American people.”
Mr Gonzales said more than 40 years of INL partnerships with countries worldwide had translated into training and equipment support for Nigeria.
He warned that pressure on drug cartels in the Western Hemisphere could redirect trafficking routes toward Africa, Europe and Oceania.
The U.S. official also highlighted the growing threat posed by synthetic drugs, which he described as deadlier and more difficult to detect.
He said he chose Nigeria as his first destination four months after assuming office because of its leadership position and economic influence on the continent.
Mr Gonzales also cited the NDLEA’s leadership, operational successes and strong partnership with INL as reasons for the visit.
“When I was thinking about where it made the most sense to visit first, Nigeria was a clear answer,” he said.
He called for sustained action against transnational criminal organisations, including efforts to disrupt the financial networks sustaining their operations.
In his remarks, Mr Marwa described the partnership between the NDLEA, INL and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration as a shared investment in both countries’ security.
He said criminal networks operated across borders, requiring governments to strengthen cooperation against drug trafficking, arms smuggling and terrorism financing.
“The drugs we seize, the arms we intercept and the terrorist financing we trace are not separate problems,” he said.
Mr Marwa explained that proceeds from drug trafficking could finance arms purchases, sustain armed groups and support terrorist activities.
He warned that criminal activities in the Sahel and Lake Chad Basin could have wider regional security implications.
The NDLEA chairman said INL assistance had strengthened the agency’s forensic and chemical analysis, professional training, investigative and financial-crime capabilities, as well as equipment maintenance.
He added that the partnership had contributed to the agency’s operational achievements over the last five years.
According to him, the NDLEA arrested 96,157 drug offenders, including 250 drug barons, during the period.
Mr Marwa said the agency also seized more than 15.8 million kilogrammes of assorted illicit drugs and secured 16,691 convictions against traffickers, including major drug dealers.
Warning that any withdrawal of INL support could create gaps exploitable by criminal and terrorist networks, he urged the United States to sustain or increase its assistance.
“Convey the message to Washington that INL support to the NDLEA should be maintained, if not increased,” he told Gonzales.
Mr Marwa stressed that traffickers, arms dealers and terrorists cooperated across borders daily, adding that governments confronting them must do the same.
NAN
