DEA to intensify screening of six Mexican nationals
Pini Bothoko | Monday December 8, 2025 06:00
The DEA believes the men’s presence in Botswana may not be coincidental. Director General Phemelo Ramakorwane said the agency finds it highly unlikely that individuals would travel such a long distance without a valid reason , raising suspicion that their visit may be linked to illicit activity.
“Something might have attracted them to Botswana, hence the need to conduct deeper screening. With assistance from the police, efforts are ongoing to establish the motive behind their illegal entry and stay in the country,” Ramakorwane said.
The six men have so far been charged with contravening the Penal Code by entering Botswana through an ungazetted point of entry. Investigations into their background and intentions continue.
Their arrest comes three months after United States Ambassador to Botswana, Howard Van Vranken, warned Botswana that Mexican drug cartels and other international criminal networks have expanded their operations into Eastern and Southern Africa. Speaking at the African Union Conference on Illicit Synthetic Drug Trade in Gaborone, he revealed that Botswana is among the countries being targeted.
Van Vranken said cartel activity in Africa is often facilitated by local networks, noting that the continent’s growing economic prospects projected to reach US$3.6 trillion by 2026 have made it an attractive frontier for organised crime. The six Mexican nationals were arrested alongside a Nigerian male national charged with a single count of 'Aiding and Abetting' for allegedly assisting the suspects to enter the country illegally.
The Ambassador further cautioned that criminal groups are opportunistic, and drug trafficking is never their only business but one of many, signaling a broader threat to regional stability.
Meanwhile, Botswana continues to grapple with widespread drug and substance abuse that is tightening its grip on communities. Ramakorwane recently painted a grim picture of national consumption trends, revealing growing cases of smuggling, distribution, and addiction, particularly among the youth.
Weekly, there have been wide reports of arrests involving various drugs, with dagga and methcathinone popularly known as “CAT” topping the list. The volume of drugs seized both internally and at border points indicates that Botswana is battling both domestic demand and its role as a transit route for traffickers.
A few weeks ago, two Tanzanian nationals were intercepted at the Dibete Police roadblock en route to northern Botswana with over 2,000 kilograms of suspected dagga. Their arrest followed a series of similar busts at border posts and within communities, highlighting the scale of trafficking attempts.
The DEA recently also noted a surge in families seeking help. Ramakorwane said that during almost every anti-drug campaign conducted across the country, parents expressed concern over the limited availability of rehabilitation facilities.
This, he said, reflects growing desperation amongst households struggling to cope with the devastation caused by drugs.
Experts point to several factors fueling the crisis. High youth unemployment continues to push many into frustration and hopelessness, creating fertile ground for drug dependence and trafficking.
Additionally, it is believed that the lack of recreational and developmental facilities in many towns and villages leaves young people idle and vulnerable to substance abuse.
Moreover, security analysts have long warned that Botswana’s geographical position and porous borders make it an ideal transit route for traffickers moving drugs between Southern African countries. Smugglers use both gazetted and ungazetted entry points, often employing sophisticated concealment methods.
Drugs have been found hidden in cross-border trucks, false compartments of private or hired vehicles, body padding, and even inside large luggage bags.
With the arrest of the six Mexican nationals raising new alarm bells, the DEA insists that fighting the drug crisis requires a collective and sustained national effort. As investigations continue, the agency says it remains committed to dismantling local networks and expanding community outreach to curb both supply and demand.