The United States government has confirmed that the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), one of Mexico’s most dangerous criminal organizations, was operating a large-scale methamphetamine production lab in Namanga, Kenya.
The meth lab, which was hidden within a simple iron-sheet structure near the Kenya-Tanzania border, was dismantled in September 2024 following a coordinated multi-agency raid.
“A major accomplishment in 2024 was the multiagency seizure of a large-scale methamphetamine production lab in Namanga, Kenya. The lab was linked to the Mexican Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG) and represents the first confirmed large-scale operation by a Mexican cartel in Kenya.” according to a report by the US government
Authorities believe Kenya’s strategic location along the East African coast makes it an ideal transit hub for narcotics smuggling to Europe, the Arabian Peninsula, and beyond.
The September 2024 raid led to the arrest and prosecution of four individuals: Mexican national Israel Alvarado Vera, Nigerian nationals Egwu Ogba Mba and Ojukwu Awu (alias “Pastor”), and Kenyan citizen Betty Mukami Micheni. They were charged with possessing precursor chemicals used in methamphetamine production, such as methylamine 40%, ethanol, phenylacetone 99%, tartaric acid, sodium hydroxide, acetone, and toluene.
