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These laboratories, where Mexicans have been working, have since been uncovered in Kenya, Mozambique and in South Africa.<\/p>\n
Since 2023 “we’ve seen\u202614 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.<\/p>\n
“This last year when I talk about the five labs, four of the five are in Nigeria,” he added.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Giving testimony to the US Congress in May, Africom commander Gen Dagvin Anderson alleged that militant groups and narco-traffickers have been working together.<\/p>\n
“African-based terror groups are financed to an increasing degree by drug cartels, expanding those terror groups’ reach and lethality,” he told lawmakers.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Withdrawal from the drug is also very hard as it often includes feelings of anxiety, severe depression, fatigue and intense cravings.<\/p>\n
As methamphetamine traffickers establish new distribution networks, beyond its historical routes, more people are being exposed to the drug.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n