These laboratories, where Mexicans have been working, have since been uncovered in Kenya, Mozambique and in South Africa.

Since 2023 “we’ve seen…14 Mexican-operated labs in total [being raided]. We saw the one in 2023 [in Mozambique], we saw six more in 2024, we saw two in 2025 and we’ve seen five this year,” Griego said.

“This last year when I talk about the five labs, four of the five are in Nigeria,” he added.

Intelligence from Africom and the US Drug Enforcement Administration have linked some of the laboratories to Mexico’s two biggest drug cartels: the Sinaloa Cartel and the Jalisco New Generation Cartel.

Giving testimony to the US Congress in May, Africom commander Gen Dagvin Anderson alleged that militant groups and narco-traffickers have been working together.

“African-based terror groups are financed to an increasing degree by drug cartels, expanding those terror groups’ reach and lethality,” he told lawmakers.

Unlike plant-based drugs, such as cocaine or heroin, which can only be grown and processed in certain places, a synthetic drug like meth can be produced anywhere with the right chemicals and expertise, making it easier for organised crime groups to quickly scale up production.

Known for its fast and long-lasting effects, methamphetamine delivers a euphoric high, but deeply unpleasant side effects. There is a serious risk of cardiovascular problems, malnourishment through poor diet and, if injecting, blood-borne diseases.

Withdrawal from the drug is also very hard as it often includes feelings of anxiety, severe depression, fatigue and intense cravings.

As methamphetamine traffickers establish new distribution networks, beyond its historical routes, more people are being exposed to the drug.