LIFESTYLE Culture

NDLEA, Australian Strengthen Partnership Against Drug Trafficking Networks

by admin on | 2026-11-03 10:43:04

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By Muhammad Bala Imam

Nigeria’s National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) and the Australian Federal Police (AFP) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in Abuja to strengthen intelligence sharing and joint operations against transnational drug trafficking networks linking Nigeria and Australia.

The agreement, signed at the NDLEA national headquarters, formalises existing cooperation into a strategic alliance targeting organised criminal networks operating along the Nigeria–Australia drug route.

NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brigadier-General Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), described the agreement as “a declaration of war against transnational drug cartels that think they can hide between continents.”

He said the partnership would combine the AFP’s international reach with the NDLEA’s operational capacity to make the drug trafficking route between both countries increasingly difficult and unprofitable for criminal organisations.

Under the agreement, the agencies will cooperate in four key areas: intelligence and information exchange, coordinated operations, capacity building and professional development, and controlled drug deliveries.

Marwa said the agreement came as international drug trafficking networks became increasingly organised, sophisticated and interconnected.

He noted that Nigerian organised crime groups had become increasingly linked to drug trafficking routes connecting Australia and the Pacific region, particularly through methamphetamine and cocaine shipments.

“Nigeria is being exploited as a transit and sourcing hub, but no single country can fight this alone,” he said.

Marwa expressed confidence that the partnership would produce significant operational results, including major drug seizures, arrests of high-value targets and successful controlled deliveries.

He also stressed the need for immediate implementation, noting that the agreement was renewable.

“With the AFP's global reach and NDLEA's operational doggedness, I am confident that we will make the Australia-Nigeria drug route extremely hostile and unprofitable for traffickers,” he said.

The NDLEA chief cited recent enforcement operations as evidence of the scale and international nature of drug trafficking involving Nigeria.

He disclosed that the agency had seized 184.5 kilogrammes of cocaine intended for export and dismantled four methamphetamine laboratories in recent months.

According to Marwa, Mexican nationals were embedded in the laboratories, while one of the facilities yielded seizures valued at more than 360 million US dollars.

He also highlighted the dismantling of a Switzerland-based drug cartel allegedly led by a Nigerian, Simon Amadi.

According to him, the operation followed more than a year of joint investigations involving the United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), alongside French, Greek and Swiss police authorities.

Marwa said authorities had also targeted the cartel leader's assets in Nigeria as part of efforts to dismantle its operations and financial networks.

Head of the Australian Federal Police delegation, Sandra Booth, described drug trafficking as a whole-of-society problem requiring coordinated responses from governments, law enforcement agencies and communities.

She commended the NDLEA for addressing different aspects of the drug problem, including prevention and enforcement.

Booth also praised the agency's international partnerships, describing its cooperation with other countries as commendable.

She said the agreement would serve as a “force multiplier” in efforts to combat what she called “this abhorrent trade.”

According to her, organised criminal groups increasingly use proceeds from drug trafficking to finance other serious offences through a model she described as “crime as a service”.

She explained that these networks recruit young and vulnerable people to deliver and transport drugs, as well as carry out violent attacks against rival groups.

Beyond addiction and its effects on families, Booth said drug trafficking was contributing to increased violence, gang conflicts 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.

She added that Australia was committed to preventing illegal drugs from reaching its territory and protecting young people and vulnerable communities from the consequences of drug trafficking.

Booth emphasised that effective international cooperation would require commitment, integrity and coordinated action from both agencies.

“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,” she said.

“I am very proud that we can now be part of your pack,” she added.

The agreement is expected to strengthen cooperation between Nigerian and Australian law enforcement authorities against drug trafficking networks operating across international borders.

The signing ceremony was attended by Australia's High Commissioner to Nigeria, Leilani Bin-Juda, and Deputy High Commissioner, Timothy Milikan.

Other members of the Australian Federal Police delegation included Andrea Humphrys and Susan Gray, alongside senior officials of the NDLEA.