Marwa: Targeting Drug Barons' Wealth Essential for Success

At the 43rd Cambridge International Symposium on Economic Crime, Brig. Gen. Mohammed Buba Marwa, Chairman/Chief Executive of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), emphasized that the war against drug trafficking cannot rely solely on arrests. In his presentation titled “Criminal Property and the Criminal Process: How Can We Make It More Effective?”, he argued that the effectiveness of the criminal process should also be measured by the ability to make crime unprofitable.

Marwa stated that a trafficker who retains their wealth after arrest has not been truly defeated, as their fortune can fund further criminal activities. He outlined six strategies for asset recovery based on the NDLEA Act 2004, the Proceeds of Crime (Recovery and Management) Act 2022, and the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act 2022.

He cited the forfeiture of the Hook Hotel, linked to a fugitive drug suspect, sold for $4.2 million. Marwa also noted that NDLEA investigators and prosecutors are now working together from the start of cases, leading to quicker restraint orders.

Last month, the agency froze over $7 million in bank accounts and secured interim forfeiture orders for various assets linked to a fugitive methamphetamine syndicate.