Older adults increasingly involved in drug trade in Nigeria and West Africa
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Data from Nigeria’s National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) indicated that at least 32 people aged 60 to 101 were arrested for drug-related offenses since January 2025, with the total rising to 48 when including those aged 50 to 59. These individuals functioned as couriers, distributors, and, in at least one instance, a drug baron overseeing a Nigerian-Mexican methamphetamine operation. Drug syndicates targeted older adults by exploiting economic vulnerabilities, gendered inequalities, and cultural perceptions of reverence to bypass security profiles that typically focus on younger offenders. The trend extended beyond Nigeria to include incidents in Cameroon, Senegal, and various international locations where networks used methods such as telemarketing fraud to recruit elderly victims as unwitting couriers.
Consequences
The shift toward using older couriers may complicate border and maritime security efforts as law enforcement agents struggle to adapt their traditional profiling strategies to include this demographic. Furthermore, the persistent use of these networks to exploit vulnerable individuals suggests that drug syndicates will likely continue to evolve their recruitment tactics to mask illicit operations behind non-traditional participants.
Sources
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