NDLEA Gets Tough New Order As Marwa Targets Drug Cartels Finances

The Chairman of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (retd.), has directed investigators to intensify efforts to dismantle the financial networks of drug cartels by targeting their financiers, assets and sources of illicit wealth.

According to Bush Radio Academy, Marwa gave the directive on Wednesday in Abuja while speaking at a specialised training programme focused on financial investigation, asset tracing and recovery, forfeiture and asset management.

The programme brought together investigators, prosecutors and officials from agencies including the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) and Nigeria Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU).

Marwa argued that the fight against drug trafficking should go beyond arresting couriers and intercepting narcotics, stressing that criminal organisations could continue operating as long as their financial backers and assets remained intact.

He said drug trafficking operates primarily as a profit-driven business, with financiers, money launderers, facilitators and other individuals helping criminal networks move, conceal and invest proceeds from illicit activities.

The NDLEA chairman urged investigators to follow the money alongside conventional drug investigations, noting that arresting a courier or seizing drugs without disrupting the financial structure behind the operation would only address part of the problem.

“If we arrest the courier but leave the financier untouched, seize the drugs but allow the proceeds to remain with the criminal enterprise, or secure a conviction without recovering the illicit wealth, we have addressed only part of the problem,” Marwa said.

He explained that targeting the financial strength of drug traffickers would make it more difficult for them to replace seized consignments, recruit new operatives and finance future criminal activities.

Marwa also warned that organised drug networks were increasingly adopting sophisticated methods to conceal their proceeds, including cryptocurrency transactions, complex corporate structures and legitimate businesses allegedly used to disguise the origins of illicit funds.

He therefore stressed the need for investigators to develop the technical expertise required to trace complicated financial transactions, identify the true owners of assets and recover proceeds of crime, including those moved outside Nigeria.

“The sophistication of organised crime demands a corresponding sophistication in our response,” he said.

“We must move from crime detection to crime disruption; from arresting offenders to dismantling criminal enterprises; and from confiscating drugs to depriving traffickers of the wealth that motivates and sustains their activities.”

The NDLEA boss said the agency had recorded progress in drug seizures and prosecutions but maintained that depriving traffickers of their financial resources should form a major part of its next phase of operations.

He said successful enforcement should prevent drug traffickers from retaining properties, bank funds and other assets obtained through criminal activities, adding that the ultimate objective was to make the illicit drug trade financially unattractive.

Marwa further pointed out that drug trafficking often intersects with other forms of organised crime, including money laundering, corruption, cybercrime, human trafficking and illegal arms dealing.

He called for stronger cooperation among law enforcement institutions and improved coordination between NDLEA departments responsible for intelligence, investigation, prosecution, forensic analysis and financial investigations.

The chairman also warned that recovered assets must be handled transparently and professionally to prevent them from losing value after seizure.

He said every stage of the asset recovery process, including seizure, forfeiture, custody, management and disposal, must be conducted with accountability to maintain public confidence in the system.

The Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, Justice John Tsoho, also called for stronger collaboration between the judiciary and law enforcement agencies in tackling drug-related and financial crimes.

Represented by Justice Inyang Ekwo, Tsoho noted that drug-related offences had become increasingly complex, extending into areas such as cryptocurrency-enabled money laundering and other sophisticated financial crimes.

He commended the NDLEA for its efforts in combating drug trafficking and stressed that closer cooperation between the judiciary and enforcement agencies would strengthen Nigeria’s response to organised crime and improve its standing in the international fight against narcotics trafficking.