Senzo Mchunu, the suspended minister of police, uncovered crucial information regarding the main drug traffickers in South Africa in a clandestine report he submitted to Parliament. In June 2025, the report was submitted to Mchunu by the South African Police Service’s Crime Intelligence and Forensic Services Division. Evidence like this points to criminal groups in Nigeria as the driving force behind the country’s illicit drug trade.no
Multiple Nigerians are singled out as major players in South Africa’s drug trade in the study. Notable worldwide drug lords such as Pablo Escobar are likened to these persons. Stanley Egbo, Michael Ifebuche, Sunny Nwobodo, Johnson Aneke, and Kingsley Chukwu are some of the prominent figures in Gauteng, the region thought to be the most lucrative for drug trafficking.
Nigerian nationals are also among the most wanted in other provinces, such as Limpopo, the North West, and the Free State. Local drug lords mostly control the coastal districts of Western Cape, Eastern Cape, and KwaZulu-Natal, while Nigerian groups control a significant portion of the inland drug market.
Notable Cape Town residents implicated in Western Cape drug trade are highlighted in the report. According to the research, South American nations such as Peru, Colombia, and Brazil are the primary suppliers of cocaine. Cocaine is imported to South Africa in powder form, which is subsequently processed locally and thereafter sold.
Points of entry, like OR Tambo Several major ports, including Durban, Cape Town, and Port Elizabeth, as well as the international airports of Cape Town and Johannesburg, have been identified as entry points for illegal drugs into the country. Rumour has it that in Johannesburg neighbourhoods such as Hillbrow, Yeoville, and Rosettenville, Nigerian drug gangs frequent guesthouses, informal stores, and nightclubs.
To bring in couriers and establish themselves in the country, they frequently use marriages and tribal ties. This paper sheds light on the intricate and global drug trafficking in South Africa, drawing attention to the substantial involvement of Nigerian organisations in this illicit enterprise. The names of South African drug lords have been revealed.