Thursday, May 14, 2026 - Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency have intercepted a large consignment of Canadian Loud, a high-potency strain of cannabis, weighing 4,173.5 kilograms, with an estimated street value of N10.43bn at the Tincan Island Port in Lagos.
The agency said the seizure followed months of intelligence
gathering, surveillance, and tracking of the shipment, which originated from
Toronto, Canada, on March 28, 2026.
In a statement on Wednesday, the NDLEA spokesperson, Femi
Babafemi, said the container was moved by rail to Montreal before being shipped
on board the vessel Jakarta Express Voyage, which arrived at Tanger Med Port in
Morocco on April 15.
He added that the shipment was later transferred to another
vessel, Osaka Voyage, which eventually arrived at the Lagos Port on May 9.
According to the agency, its Marine Intelligence Unit and
Tincan Island Strategic Command monitored the consignment for over two months
in collaboration with international partners, including the United Kingdom Home
Office International Operations, the United States Drug Enforcement
Administration, and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.
“The successful interdiction of the illicit drug consignment
followed painstaking intelligence gathering, sustained surveillance, and
trailing of the container from its point of departure in Toronto,” the
statement partly read.
Babafemi said the drugs were eventually seized on Tuesday,
May 12, during a joint examination involving NDLEA operatives, the Nigeria
Customs Service, and other security agencies.
He explained that the drugs were concealed inside a used
Ford bus and a Mercedes-Benz C300 car loaded within the shipping container.
Speaking during the handover of the exhibits by the Customs
Service at the port on Wednesday, NDLEA Director of Seaports Operations,
Ibinabo Archie-Abia, said the operation demonstrated the effectiveness of
inter-agency and international collaboration in combating transnational drug
trafficking.
The seizure came just days after NDLEA operatives raided a
mansion in Lekki, Lagos, allegedly used as a stash house, where 2,326 kilograms
of the same substance, valued at over N5.8bn, were recovered.
Reacting to the development, NDLEA Chairman and Chief
Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), commended officers
involved in the operation for their professionalism and vigilance.
Marwa said the repeated interceptions indicated a
coordinated attempt by international drug syndicates to flood Nigeria with
synthetic cannabis strains.
“This second massive seizure in less than a week is a clear
message to international syndicates who think they can use our ports as entry
points for their illicit trade. The synergy between NDLEA, Customs, and our
international partners is yielding results,” he said.
He added that the agency would continue efforts to dismantle
drug trafficking networks linked to the shipments and ensure those responsible
are brought to justice.
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