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Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have intercepted 4,173.5 kilograms of Canadian Loud, a high-potency strain of cannabis, valued at an estimated N10.43bn at the Tincan Island Port.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, NDLEA spokesperson Femi Babafemi said the seizure followed months of intelligence gathering, surveillance and tracking of the shipment, which departed Toronto on March 28, 2026.
According to the agency, the container was transported by rail to Montreal before being shipped aboard the vessel Jakarta Express Voyage, which arrived at Tanger Med Port on April 15.
The shipment was later transferred to another vessel, Osaka Voyage, which arrived in Lagos on May 9, 2026.
Babafemi said the NDLEA’s Marine Intelligence Unit and Tincan Island Strategic Command monitored the consignment for more than 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 said.
The agency disclosed that the drugs were seized on Tuesday, May 12, during a joint inspection involving NDLEA officers, the Nigeria Customs Service and other security agencies.
Babafemi explained that the cannabis was hidden inside a used Ford bus and a Mercedes-Benz C300 car packed within the shipping container.
Speaking during the handover of the seized drugs, NDLEA Director of Seaports Operations, Ibinabo Archie-Abia, said the operation highlighted the success of inter-agency and international cooperation against transnational drug trafficking.
The latest seizure comes days after NDLEA operatives reportedly recovered 2,326 kilograms of the same substance from a mansion in Lekki allegedly used as a stash house.
Reacting to the development, NDLEA Chairman Mohamed Buba Marwa commended officers involved in the operation, describing the repeated interceptions as evidence of attempts by international drug syndicates to flood Nigeria with synthetic cannabis products.
“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,” Marwa said.
He added that the agency would continue efforts to dismantle trafficking networks linked to the shipments and prosecute those responsible.
