Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have intercepted a shipment of Canadian Loud, a high-potency strain of cannabis, valued at over N10.4 billion at the Tincan Island Port in Lagos.
The illicit consignment, weighing 4,173.5 kilograms, was seized following an extensive intelligence-led operation involving months of surveillance and international collaboration.
According to the agency, the shipment originated from Toronto, Canada, on March 28, 2026, and was transported by rail to Montreal before being loaded onto a vessel bound for Morocco. The container was later transferred onto another vessel that arrived in Lagos on May 9.
NDLEA said the operation was coordinated by its Marine Intelligence Unit and the Tincan Island Strategic Command 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 consignment was eventually intercepted on May 12 during a joint examination involving NDLEA operatives, officers of the Nigeria Customs Service, and other security agencies.
The agency disclosed that the drugs were professionally concealed inside a used Ford bus and a Mercedes-Benz C300 vehicle loaded within the shipping container.
The latest seizure comes barely four days after NDLEA operatives uncovered 2,326 kilograms of the same psychoactive substance, valued at over N5.8 billion, at a mansion in the Lekki area of Lagos allegedly used as a drug stash house.
Speaking during the handover of the exhibits in Lagos, NDLEA Director of Seaports Operations, ACG Ibinabo ArchieAbia, described the seizure as another demonstration of the effectiveness of intelligence-driven operations and inter-agency cooperation in combating transnational organised crime.
Reacting to the development, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Mohamed Buba Marwa, commended officers of the Tincan Island Command and the Marine Intelligence Unit for their vigilance and professionalism.
Marwa said the recent wave of large-scale cannabis seizures indicated a coordinated effort by international drug syndicates to flood the Nigerian market with synthetic cannabis products.
He stated that the growing collaboration between NDLEA, the Nigeria Customs Service, and international partners was producing significant results in disrupting illicit drug trafficking networks.
“We will not rest until every link in this supply chain is broken and those behind these shipments are brought to justice,” Marwa said.
