African authorities are observing a growing presence of Mexican cartels in several countries on the continent, including South Africa, Nigeria and Mozambique.

These criminal organizations are increasingly involved in the local production of methamphetamine, also known as "crystal meth".

In early May, South African police dismantled a major clandestine laboratory in the North Western province. More than 480 kilograms of methamphetamine were seized, along with equipment estimated to be worth over 50 million euros. Among the eleven suspects arrested were five Mexican nationals.

According to several media outlets specializing in security issues, this is the fourth laboratory dismantling linked to Mexican citizens in South Africa in less than two years.

Experts believe that cartels are gradually shifting some of their production to Africa in order to get closer to consumer markets and escape increased surveillance by US and Mexican authorities.

The phenomenon is no longer limited to South Africa. In recent years, similar operations have been carried out in Nigeria, Mozambique, Malawi, Botswana, and Kenya. West Africa, long used as a transit zone between Latin America and Europe, is now becoming a hub for drug production.

In Mozambique, authorities recently arrested several suspects, including two Mexicans described as members of the Sinaloa cartel. Large quantities of chemicals used in methamphetamine production were also discovered.

This expansion is worrying health authorities. In Mozambique, the number of people receiving treatment for drug addiction increased by 38% in 2025, according to local authorities. Several experts now fear a worsening of drug addiction in certain regions of the continent.

In Nigeria, anti-drug forces announced in May 2026 that they had dismantled the largest methamphetamine laboratory ever discovered in the country. Authorities seized drugs and chemicals with an estimated street value of over €300 million. Three Mexican chemists were among those arrested.

Investigators believe these networks now operate through partnerships between local criminal groups and international cartels, which provide technical expertise and finance the installation of clandestine laboratories in isolated rural areas.