Wednesday, July 1, 2026 - The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, has formally taken custody of 6,778.5 kilograms of Canadian Loud, a potent strain of cannabis, intercepted at the Apapa Port in Lagos during a joint operation with the Nigeria Customs Service, NCS, and other security agencies.
The agency disclosed this in a statement
on Wednesday by its Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi.
The illicit consignment was seized during the examination of
two containers following months of intelligence-led investigations conducted by
the NDLEA’s Special Investigation Unit and Marine Intelligence Unit in
collaboration with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, RCMP, and the Nigeria
Customs Service.
Speaking during the handover ceremony at Apapa Port
on Wednesday, NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen.
Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), represented by the Director of Seaport Operations,
ACGN Ibinabo Archie-Abia, described the seizure as a major milestone in
inter-agency collaboration against drug trafficking.
Marwa said the operation followed two major interceptions
recorded on June 15 and June 24, 2026, and underscored the agency’s
determination to dismantle organised drug trafficking networks operating within
and outside Nigeria.
He explained that the traffickers adopted complex
international shipping routes in an attempt to evade detection, but NDLEA
operatives successfully tracked the shipments across multiple countries before
intercepting them at the port.
According to him, the first container, identified as CAAU
7569127, departed Toronto, Canada, on April 16, 2026, was transported by rail
to Montreal and shipped through Morocco before arriving at Tin Can Island Port
and later Apapa Port, where it was intercepted during a joint inspection.
The second container, HAMU 3246311, left Montreal on May 1
aboard the vessel *Africa Express*, was later trans-shipped onto *Algeciras
Express*, arrived at Tin Can Island Port, and was subsequently transferred to
Apapa Port, where NDLEA officers intercepted it.
Marwa said the agency would go beyond confiscating illicit
drugs by targeting the financial networks behind drug trafficking through the
arrest and prosecution of suspects and the confiscation of criminal assets.
He also commended the NDLEA, the Nigeria Customs Service and
other security agencies for their professionalism and cooperation, describing
the successful operation as evidence of the effectiveness of intelligence
sharing, inter-agency collaboration and international partnerships in combating
transnational organised crime.
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