NDLEA, Australian Police Sign Pact Against Drug Cartels

Buba Marwa says the agreement will strengthen intelligence sharing and joint operations against trafficking networks, while Australia warns of the wider criminal activities funded by the drug trade

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) and the Australian Federal Police (AFP) have signed a strategic agreement to intensify efforts against international drug trafficking networks operating along the Nigeria-Australia route.

Also read: BREAKING: NCDC Identifies Two Suspected Ebola Cases in North-East

The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), signed at the NDLEA national headquarters in Abuja on Monday, November 2, 2026, formalises existing cooperation between the two agencies and establishes a framework for sustained joint action.

NDLEA Chairman, retired Brigadier-General Mohamed Buba Marwa, described the agreement as a declaration of war against transnational drug cartels, expressing confidence that the partnership would make the Nigeria-Australia corridor increasingly difficult and unprofitable for traffickers.

He said the collaboration would combine the AFP’s international reach with the NDLEA’s operational capacity to identify, disrupt and dismantle criminal networks operating across national borders.

“Nigeria is being exploited as a transit and sourcing hub, but no single country can fight this alone,” Marwa said, pointing to the growing involvement of Nigerian organised crime groups in the Australia-Pacific drug route, particularly in methamphetamine and cocaine trafficking.

The agreement identifies four priority areas of cooperation: intelligence and information sharing, joint and coordinated operations, capacity building and professional development, and controlled delivery.

Controlled delivery allows law enforcement agencies, under appropriate supervision, to monitor the movement of suspected illicit consignments to help identify and apprehend other members of trafficking networks.

Marwa said he expected the partnership to produce major joint seizures, arrests of high-value targets and successful controlled deliveries. He also called for the immediate implementation of the agreement, which provides for a renewable cooperation framework.

To demonstrate the scale of the threat, the NDLEA chairman cited the seizure of 184.5 kilogrammes of cocaine allegedly destined for export and the dismantling of four methamphetamine laboratories in recent months.

He said Mexican nationals were found operating within the laboratories, adding that one of the operations resulted in seizures valued at more than $360 million.

Marwa 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 collaboration involving the United States Drug Enforcement Administration and police authorities in France, Greece and Switzerland.

He added that assets linked to the cartel in Nigeria had also been targeted.

Leading the Australian delegation, AFP representative Sandra Booth described drug trafficking as a whole-of-society problem requiring coordinated international action.

She commended the NDLEA for combining prevention and enforcement with international partnerships, describing the new agreement as a force multiplier in the campaign against illicit drugs.

Booth warned that organised criminal groups were increasingly using proceeds from drug trafficking to finance other serious offences through what she called a “crime as a service” model.

Under the model, criminal networks recruit young and vulnerable people to deliver and transport illicit substances, while also involving them in violent attacks against rival groups.

She said the consequences extended beyond addiction, damaging families, destabilising communities and contributing to 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 was committed to preventing illicit substances from entering its territory and protecting young people and other vulnerable members of society.

Booth also stressed the importance of teamwork, integrity and sustained commitment in confronting international drug networks.

“I am very proud that we can now be part of your pack,” she said, signalling the AFP’s readiness to work closely with the Nigerian agency.

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

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

The agreement comes amid growing concerns about the international reach of organised drug trafficking groups and their ability to exploit cross-border routes, vulnerable recruits and differences in law enforcement systems.

Also read: Lagos Targets $50bn Climate Investment, Unveils 300 Projects

For Nigeria and Australia, the partnership is intended to strengthen the exchange of intelligence and improve the agencies’ ability to pursue criminal networks beyond the jurisdictions in which individual seizures or arrests occur.