The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has intercepted a massive consignment of Canadian Loud, a high-potency strain of cannabis, valued at over N10.4 billion at the Tincan Island Port in Lagos.
The agency’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, disclosed this in a statement issued on Wednesday in Abuja, noting that the seized shipment weighed 4,173.5 kilograms and was uncovered after months of intelligence gathering, surveillance, and collaboration with international law enforcement partners.
According to the statement, the illicit consignment originated from Toronto, Canada, on March 28, 2026, before being transported by rail to Montreal, where it was loaded onto the vessel Jakarta Express. The container later passed through Tanger Med Port in Morocco and was subsequently transferred to another vessel, Osaka Voyage, which arrived in Lagos on May 9.
NDLEA disclosed that operatives of its Marine Intelligence Unit and Tincan Island Strategic Command closely monitored the shipment for over two months, working alongside the United Kingdom Home Office International Operations, the United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.
The drugs were eventually intercepted on Tuesday, May 12, during a joint examination involving NDLEA officers, the Nigeria Customs Service, and other security agencies.
Investigations revealed that the narcotics were carefully concealed inside a used Ford bus and a Mercedes-Benz C300 car packed within the shipping container.
The latest seizure comes barely four days after NDLEA operatives uncovered another major cache of Canadian Loud in a mansion located in Lekki, Lagos, where 2,326 kilograms of the psychoactive substance valued at over N5.8 billion were recovered.
Speaking during the handover of the seized exhibits on Wednesday, NDLEA Director of Seaports Operations, ACG Ibinabo ArchieAbia, described the operation as a testament to the effectiveness of intelligence-led enforcement and inter-agency cooperation in combating transnational drug trafficking.
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brigadier General Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), commended the officers involved in the operation, warning international drug syndicates against using Nigerian ports as transit routes for illicit substances.
Marwa said the recent wave of seizures indicated a coordinated attempt to flood the Nigerian market with synthetic cannabis products, adding that the agency would continue working with both local and international partners to dismantle every link in the illicit drug supply chain.
“This second massive seizure in less than a week is a clear message to international syndicates that Nigeria will not tolerate the use of its ports for illegal drug trafficking,” he stated.
