…Chairman warns criminal syndicates exploiting dark web, cryptocurrencies

…Says Nigeria’s anti-drug war now driven by intelligence, technology, global partnerships

Chairman/Chief Executive of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Brig Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), on Friday disclosed that the agency arrested 29,262 suspected drug offenders, seized more than 5.3 million kilogrammes of illicit drugs valued at over N1.5 trillion, and secured 5,225 convictions between 2025 and the first half of 2026.

Marwa also revealed that the agency dismantled several transnational drug cartels, including syndicates involving billionaire drug traffickers, Mexican methamphetamine manufacturers and international money laundering networks, describing the operations as some of the biggest anti-drug successes in Nigeria’s history.

Speaking at the grand finale of the 2026 International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking in Abuja, the NDLEA boss said this year’s global theme, “The World Drug Problem: Persisting Challenges, New Threats and Innovative Responses,” reflects the rapidly evolving nature of organised drug crime.

According to him, the world is no longer confronted only by conventional narcotics but by increasingly sophisticated synthetic drugs, new psychoactive substances and criminal networks exploiting encrypted communication platforms, cryptocurrencies, social media and the dark web.

“The internet, once celebrated as a tool for innovation and connectivity, is increasingly being manipulated as a digital pipeline for addiction, exploitation and transnational organised crime,” he said.

Marwa expressed concern over the growing exposure of young Nigerians to illicit drugs, attributing the trend to peer pressure, unemployment, misinformation on social media, emotional distress, weakening family support systems and the glamorisation of substance abuse.

He, however, said the agency has remained resolute through intelligence-led operations across airports, seaports, land borders, forests and communities nationwide.
Highlighting recent breakthroughs, Marwa disclosed that the NDLEA, working with the United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and law enforcement agencies in Greece, France and Switzerland, dismantled the notorious international drug trafficking and money laundering syndicate headed by billionaire suspect Amadi Simon.

He said coordinated operations across multiple countries culminated in the arrest of Simon in Switzerland alongside his Nigerian accomplices, Jacinta Amara Ikechi and Blessing Rosie Ahmadi.

According to him, investigations linked the syndicate to the laundering of hundreds of billions of naira generated from drug trafficking and other financial crimes.

“At the point of arrest, thousands of dollars in cash were recovered from his vehicle while more than 60 million dollars was traced to his accounts,” Marwa said.

He also announced the dismantling of a major cross-continental methamphetamine manufacturing cartel involving a 63-year-old Nigerian kingpin, Innocent Anochili, three Mexican nationals and six Nigerian collaborators.

The operation, carried out simultaneously in Ogun and Lagos States after months of surveillance, uncovered a massive clandestine methamphetamine laboratory hidden inside a remote forest in Ijebu East Local Government Area of Ogun State.

Another tactical team simultaneously raided the suspect’s luxury residence in Lekki, Lagos.

Marwa disclosed that forensic experts recovered 2,419 kilogrammes of precursor chemicals, industrial solvents and crystallised methamphetamine valued at approximately 362 million US dollars, equivalent to more than 480 billion in the international illicit drug market.

He further revealed that barely days after the operation, NDLEA operatives uncovered another industrial-scale methamphetamine laboratory concealed inside a forest in Ibarapa Local Government Area of Oyo State, where one Mexican national and four Nigerians were arrested.

Providing an overview of the agency’s achievements over the last five years, Marwa said no fewer than 234 major drug barons coordinating illicit drug trafficking operations have been apprehended.

He stressed that the statistics represent not merely operational data but “millions of lives saved, billions of naira in criminal wealth confiscated, and the future reclaimed for our youths.”

Beyond enforcement, the NDLEA Chairman said the agency has significantly expanded its drug demand reduction programmes.
He disclosed that under the War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) campaign, the agency conducted 6,645 sensitisation programmes across schools, religious centres, workplaces, markets, motor parks, correctional facilities and communities, reaching nearly five million Nigerians with anti-drug messages.

Marwa added that 13,508 persons battling substance dependence received counselling, treatment and rehabilitation across the agency’s 31 treatment centres nationwide during the same period.

He also highlighted the launch of Clean Beat 91.5 FM, the agency’s radio station dedicated to drug abuse prevention and public enlightenment.

According to him, the NDLEA is increasingly deploying technology, deep-web intelligence, advanced data analytics and improved forensic capabilities to detect emerging synthetic drugs and precursor chemicals before they spread across communities.

Marwa also drew attention to the agency’s pioneering Alternative Development Programme, the first of its kind in Africa, aimed at providing legitimate livelihoods for illicit cannabis farmers.

The initiative, launched in January in Ondo State with support from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), the Global Partnership on Drug Policies and Development and other international partners, encourages former cannabis cultivators to switch to crops such as cassava, maize, cocoa and cowpea.

He said the programme aligns with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda and has already begun yielding positive results in the pilot communities.

While acknowledging government efforts, Marwa maintained that law enforcement alone cannot eliminate substance abuse.

He called for a whole-of-society approach involving families, schools, religious institutions, traditional rulers, civil society organisations, the media and the private sector.

“We are fighting for the soul of our nation. Let us strengthen collaboration, embrace technological innovation and invest more in prevention, treatment and social reintegration,” he said.