Nigeria and Australia strengthen cooperation against drug trafficking
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on P.M. News
Nigeria’s anti-drug agency and the Australian Federal Police have signed an agreement to dismantle trafficking networks operating between the two countries. Signed in Abuja on Monday, the protocol formalises their cooperation and provides for a renewable framework, according to the head of Nigeria’s agency, Buba Marwa.
Nigeria’s National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) and the Australian Federal Police (AFP) signed an agreement in Abuja on Monday to dismantle transnational drug-trafficking networks operating along the Nigeria-Australia route, P.M. News reports. The agreement formalises their cooperation under a renewable strategic framework.
NDLEA chairman Buba Marwa said Nigerian criminal groups were increasingly linked to methamphetamine and cocaine trafficking along the Australia-Pacific route. He called for the agreement to be implemented quickly and said he hoped it would lead to joint seizures, arrests of high-value targets and controlled deliveries. AFP delegation head Sandra Booth described drug trafficking as a problem requiring a coordinated response.
Marwa cited the seizure of 184.5 kilograms of cocaine intended for export and the dismantling of four methamphetamine laboratories. Mexican nationals operated them, he said, adding that an operation had seized products valued at more than $360 million. He also referred to the dismantling of a Switzerland-based cartel, allegedly led by Nigerian Simon Amadi, after more than a year of collaboration with the US DEA and the French, Greek and Swiss police.
The agreement adds to Nigeria’s efforts to develop its security partnerships, including recently strengthened trade cooperation between the Nigerian Customs Service and the United States, announced on 30 October in a customs cooperation agreement.
