Nigeria dismantles another methamphetamine lab linked to a Mexican cartel

Nigeria's anti-drug agency announced Thursday that it had arrested two men suspected of operating a methamphetamine laboratory, the latest in a series of high-profile raids targeting drug trafficking networks that authorities believe are linked to Mexican cartels.

West Africa has become in recent years a hub for the transit of drugs from South America to Europe, mainly cocaine.

This is the fourth seizure of large-scale methamphetamine production facilities in Nigeria since May, fueling fears of a lasting foothold for Mexican cartels in Africa's most populous country to produce and export methamphetamine out of the country.

An AFP investigation published Thursday revealed that Mexican cartels are setting up operations in certain regions of Africa, including South Africa and Nigeria, to meet the demand for drugs in Europe, Southeast Asia and Oceania.

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) said in a statement that Chukwu Obumneme Christopher, 45, and Chukwu Georginus Monday, 60, operated the lab in partnership with Rodriguez Villanueva, a "notorious member of a Mexican drug cartel."

"Large quantities of chemical precursors," substances used in the manufacture of narcotics, were discovered in this makeshift laboratory located in the town of Obeagu, in the district of Awgu, in the southeast of Enugu State, the NDLEA said.

The trial of the two men, who have already appeared in court, will continue on October 21.

Rodriguez Villanueva has left Nigeria and is wanted.

At least five Mexicans have been arrested in Nigeria since May in connection with operations linked to methamphetamine labs, Femi Babafemi, spokesman for the NDLEA, told AFP.

AFP