NDLEA Seizes N10.4bn Cannabis Shipment at Lagos Port
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency has intercepted a massive consignment of “Canadian Loud,” a potent strain of cannabis, valued at over ₦10.4 billion at the Tincan Island Port in Lagos.
The illicit shipment, weighing 4,173.5 kilogrammes, was seized following an extensive intelligence-led operation involving sustained surveillance and international collaboration, according to a statement issued on Wednesday by the agency’s spokesperson, Femi Babafemi.
Babafemi disclosed that the container conveying the narcotics originated from Toronto, Canada, on March 28 before being transported by rail to Montreal, where it was loaded onto the vessel Jakarta Express. The shipment later passed through Tanger Med Port in Morocco, where it was transferred to another vessel, Osaka, which eventually arrived in Lagos on May 9.
According to the NDLEA, operatives from its Marine Intelligence Unit and Tincan Island Strategic Command monitored the shipment 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 agency said the operation culminated in the seizure of the consignment during a joint inspection involving NDLEA operatives, officials of the Nigeria Customs Service, and other security agencies on Tuesday, May 12.
Investigations revealed that the drugs were concealed inside two vehicles — a used Ford bus and a Mercedes-Benz C300 car — loaded within the shipping container.
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The latest interception comes barely four days after NDLEA operatives uncovered another major stash of the same psychoactive substance at a mansion in Lekki, Lagos, where 4,000 parcels weighing 2,326 kilogrammes and valued at over ₦5.8 billion were recovered.
Speaking during the formal handover of the seized consignment by the Nigeria Customs Service at the Lagos port, the Director of Seaports Operations at the NDLEA, ACG Ibinabo Archie-Abia, described the operation as evidence of the growing effectiveness of intelligence-driven policing and inter-agency cooperation in tackling transnational organised crime.
Reacting to the seizure, NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brigadier General Mohamed Marwa (retd.), commended officers of the Tincan Command and the Marine Intelligence Unit for their professionalism and vigilance.
Marwa noted that the recent seizures point to coordinated efforts by international drug trafficking networks to use Nigerian ports as transit routes for synthetic cannabis and other illicit substances.
“This second massive seizure within one week sends a strong warning to international drug syndicates seeking to exploit Nigeria’s ports for criminal activities. The collaboration between the NDLEA, Nigeria Customs Service, other security agencies, and international partners is producing significant results,” he said.
He reaffirmed the agency’s commitment to dismantling drug trafficking networks and ensuring those behind the shipments are brought to justice.
The NDLEA has intensified surveillance and enforcement operations across the country in recent months as part of broader efforts to combat drug trafficking and protect public safety.
By PRNigeria
