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How Mexican Drug Cartels Have Shifted Methamphetamine Production to Africa

https://youtu.be/omGu_QzO-8g?si=GEmTcOCw7DDkKvIB

Excerpt:

.....Methamphetamine laboratories linked to Mexican cartels have been operating in Africa for years. According to AFRICOM, the first documented case occurred in Nigeria in 2016. Since then, laboratories have been located in countries such as Mozambique, Kenya, and South Africa.

James Griego, head of counter-narcotics operations at AFRICOM, reported that 14 Mexican-run laboratories have been dismantled in Africa since 2023—four of them in Nigeria. Specifically, links were found between some of these laboratories and the Sinaloa and Jalisco New Generation cartels.

However, the most significant operation took place in May 2026. Nigerian authorities dismantled the largest clandestine methamphetamine laboratory discovered in Africa to date. More than 2.4 tons of methamphetamine and chemical precursors were seized, with an estimated value of $360 million.

.....You might wonder, though: why did the cartels decide to expand into this continent? Africa offers numerous advantages. The first is its geography; vast stretches of forest provide ideal locations for setting up isolated, hard-to-detect laboratories. The second factor is logistical: West Africa offers direct access to Atlantic shipping routes, facilitating the transport of goods to Europe and other regions of the world.

Added to this is the fact that some African countries have fewer regulations regarding the import of chemicals used to manufacture synthetic drugs. There is also less surveillance at their borders. This facilitates criminal operations and allows them to cut costs when supplying highly lucrative markets.

In Europe, the latest report indicates a 47% increase in methamphetamine consumption between 2014 and 2024. Meanwhile, in East and Southeast Asia, seizures of the drug hit an all-time high in 2024. Demographics play a role as well. According to Femi Babafemi, spokesperson for Nigeria’s National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Africa’s large youth population acts as an incentive for criminal organizations, providing not only cheap labor but also a market for local consumption.

.....One is the increased pressure on traditional drug trafficking routes. Since Donald Trump’s return to the U.S. presidency, Washington has stepped up actions against cartels, potentially accelerating the search for new routes and production hubs