Elders Getting More Involved in Drug Trade in Nigeria and West Africa

Adults aged 50 and above are becoming more noticeable in drug operations across West Africa. Data availability and understanding of this trend differ from one country to another.

Nigeria’s National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) reports that at least 32 people aged 60 to 101 have been arrested in Nigeria since January. When we include suspects aged 50 to 59, that number goes up to 48. This means about one elder is arrested for every five younger adults.

Femi Babafemi, the Media and Advocacy Director at NDLEA, told ISS Today that the data shows a consistent pattern. He said the ongoing arrests of suspects aged 55 to 80 nationwide indicate this is not just a random event.

Besides Nigeria, Mr Babafemi mentioned that drug gangs are using elderly couriers to move drugs across porous borders and informal sea routes in West Africa. People aged 65 to 70 have been caught trafficking cannabis in countries like Cameroon and Senegal.

Lack of Regional Data

While many countries report individual cases, there is no regional data from the West African Epidemiology Network on Drug Use. The available data is not organized for comparison. This makes it hard to study elderly drug couriers properly.

Elders in drug trafficking stand out because they do not fit the usual profile of young offenders that security agents expect. This trend goes against the cultural respect that African societies usually have for elders, which makes them appealing targets for drug networks.

The connection between older people and the drug trade is not new, either in Africa or globally. In Ghana, older women acted as drug mules and distributors back in 2002 and 2014. A 2008 British report noted a rise in women couriers in their sixties and seventies, many from Nigeria or Ghana. Other reports also mention the involvement of elders from Ivory Coast and Guinea.

In 2016, elderly drug couriers were identified in North America, Australia, Hong Kong, and Europe. In the United States, older people were recruited through social media and telemarketing scams, offered large payments to carry gifts.

Recent Cases of Elderly Traffickers

In 2025, elderly traffickers were arrested in Chile, the UK, and India. These networks targeted older individuals living alone who needed money and many were unaware that they were involved in drug trafficking. In May 2025, UK Border Force officers caught two German men aged 80 and 67 traveling to Hong Kong with methamphetamine. They were victims of a Nigerian network that used email scams to recruit older people.

Older individuals are also taking on leadership roles in drug operations. In May, a 63-year-old drug baron was arrested for allegedly running a Nigerian-Mexican methamphetamine operation. They serve as couriers, distributors, intermediaries, producers, storage providers, and kingpins. Many now handle cocaine, methamphetamine, and synthetic cannabis.

Women are not new to drug trafficking, but the involvement of older women in recent cases is significant. Their roles challenge traditional views on elderly women. It also shows how gender inequalities can make older women more vulnerable to recruitment by criminal networks, according to NDLEA expert Funmilayo Bamisaye.

West Africa's Growing Drug Trade

West Africa is becoming a major player in global drug trafficking as restrictions increase in Latin America. In 2024, there were 25,891 drug-related arrests across 13 West African nations.

In July, Liberian authorities seized nearly four tonnes of cocaine worth about $317 million. In Nigeria, two large methamphetamine labs were discovered in May and June. Senegal is now seen as a new transit hub for cocaine going to Europe.

While much of West Africa used to be a consumer market, Nigeria has turned into a producer and exporter of synthetic drugs. This likely connects to other organized crime activities.

Improved law enforcement is forcing drug networks to change their tactics, Mr Babafemi says. But many cases still slip through the cracks. Over 100 tonnes of cocaine were trafficked from West Africa to Europe last year. Customs officials struggle to identify unlikely suspects, pointing to gaps in how they profile and categorize suspects.

In West Africa, the involvement of elders in the drug trade mirrors how Boko Haram targets women for arms and drug smuggling. It raises questions about what motivates older people to join criminal groups. Economic hardship and the loss of social support during conflicts, especially in rural areas, are common reasons.

Mr Babafemi says some older people are recruited through trust, including by family members. Others may have past criminal records. Urgent medical needs, loneliness, and social isolation make older adults easy targets for criminal networks.

Nigerian media worry that elders becoming involved in crime shows social decline. In cultures where elders should guide the young, it is concerning to see them selling drugs and involving children in trafficking.

One expert told ISS Today that anti-trafficking campaigns target all age groups. But elder involvement in crime raises complicated issues about how law enforcement views their actions, especially when deception is involved. It also raises questions about how sentencing considers older suspects with health issues.

As food insecurity worsens alongside other crises in West Africa, elder involvement in crime is likely to grow. More research is needed to understand why and how elders get involved. Setting a clear age limit for defining older offenders could help in measuring and comparing across countries.

Security agencies should rethink how they profile suspects to respond to the changing role of older adults in organized crime, especially drug trafficking. The focus should shift from profiling to understanding the structures and financial flows that support trafficking. Responses should be based on intelligence, data, fairness, and respect for rights.

Humanitarian organizations should strengthen protections for older people vulnerable to criminal recruitment and exploitation.