The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) and the Australian Federal Police (AFP) have entered into a strategic partnership to dismantle transnational drug trafficking networks operating between Nigeria and Australia, with plans for joint operations, intelligence sharing and coordinated arrests of suspected cartel leaders.
Key Highlights
- NDLEA and the Australian Federal Police signed an MoU in Abuja on November 2, 2026.
- The deal covers intelligence sharing, joint operations, training and controlled drug deliveries.
- Marwa calls it a declaration of war on international drug cartels.
- Nigerian networks are increasingly linked to the Australia-Pacific methamphetamine and cocaine route.
- AFP’s Sandra Booth says Nigeria is a transit country while Australia is a destination country.
The agreement, formalised through a memorandum of understanding signed at the NDLEA headquarters in Abuja on Monday, November 2, 2026, is aimed at disrupting drug trafficking routes increasingly exploited by organised criminal groups.
NDLEA Chairman, Mohamed Marwa, described the agreement as a declaration of war against international drug cartels, warning that traffickers would no longer find safe havens by operating across national borders.
He said the partnership would make the Nigeria-Australia drug route increasingly difficult and unprofitable for criminal networks.
Four Areas Of Cooperation
Under the agreement, both agencies will collaborate in four major areas: intelligence and information sharing, joint and coordinated operations, professional training and capacity development, and controlled drug deliveries to identify and apprehend members of trafficking networks.
Marwa said the partnership has become necessary because drug trafficking has evolved into a highly organised international criminal enterprise, with Nigerian criminal networks increasingly connected to the Australia-Pacific drug route, particularly in the trafficking of methamphetamine and cocaine.
He warned that criminal groups were exploiting Nigeria as both a transit and sourcing hub, stressing that no country could effectively tackle the threat in isolation.
The NDLEA chairman cited several recent operations as evidence of the growing scale of international drug trafficking and the need for stronger cross-border cooperation.
Among them was the seizure of 184.5 kilogrammes of cocaine allegedly intended for export, as well as the dismantling of four methamphetamine laboratories in recent months, where Mexican nationals were reportedly found operating.
According to Marwa, one of the laboratories yielded drug seizures valued at more than $360 million.
He also disclosed that the NDLEA has collaborated for over a year with the United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and police authorities in France, Greece and Switzerland to dismantle a Switzerland-based drug cartel allegedly operated by a Nigerian identified as Simon Amadi.
Marwa said the cartel’s assets in Nigeria have also been targeted.
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‘Crime As A Service’
Speaking on behalf of the Australian delegation, AFP representative Sandra Booth described drug trafficking as a global security threat requiring coordinated international action.
She commended the NDLEA for addressing different aspects of the drug problem, including prevention, enforcement and international cooperation, describing the new agreement as a force multiplier in the fight against organised crime.
Booth warned that international criminal organisations were increasingly using proceeds from drug trafficking to finance other serious offences under what she described as a “crime as a service” model.
She said vulnerable young people were being recruited to transport drugs, deliver illicit substances and carry out violent attacks against rival criminal groups.
Beyond the consequences of addiction, she said drug trafficking was contributing to family breakdowns, community instability, gang violence 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,” Booth said.
She explained that Australia is determined to prevent illicit drugs from reaching its territory and protect young people and other vulnerable groups from the activities of trafficking syndicates.
Calling for stronger cooperation between both countries, Booth said the agencies must work together with commitment, integrity and determination to dismantle the criminal networks.
The signing ceremony was attended by Australia’s High Commissioner to Nigeria, Leilani Bin-Juda; Deputy High Commissioner Timothy Milikan; and other members of the AFP delegation, including Andrea Humphrys and Susan Gray, alongside senior NDLEA officials.
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