Authorities Seize ₦10.4 Billion Worth of Canadian Cannabis at Lagos Harbor

A massive shipment of Canadian Loud, a potent strain of cannabis, has been seized by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, weighing in at 4,173.5 kilogrammes with a street value of ₦10,433,750,000, at the Tincan Island Port in Lagos.

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This interception was made possible by meticulous intelligence gathering, sustained surveillance, and tireless tracking of the container, which had been transloaded multiple times since departing Toronto, Canada, on March 28.

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According to a statement released by NDLEA spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, on Wednesday, the container carrying the illicit drug was transported by rail and arrived at the Lagos port on Saturday, May 9.

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The statement revealed that the successful interdiction of the cannabis consignment was the result of painstaking efforts by the NDLEA, which worked closely with international partners, including the United Kingdom Home Office International Operations, the United States Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.

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The container's journey was closely monitored by the Marine Intelligence Unit of NDLEA and the Tincan Island Strategic Command over a period of two months, with the shipment being loaded onto various vessels, including the Jakarta Express voyage and the Osaka voyage, before eventually arriving at the Lagos port on May 9, 2026.

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The seizure of the consignment took place on Tuesday, May 12, during a joint examination of the container by NDLEA operatives, Customs Service officials, and other security agencies.

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The drugs were cleverly concealed inside two vehicles - a used Ford bus and a Mercedes-Benz C300 car - which were packed within the shipping container.

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This development comes just four days after NDLEA operatives raided a Lekki mansion, where 4,000 parcels of the same psychoactive substance, weighing 2,326 kilogrammes and valued at over ₦5.815 billion, were recovered.

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During the handover of the exhibits by the Nigeria Customs Service at the port in Lagos on Wednesday, the NDLEA Director of Seaports Operations, ACG Ibinabo Archie-Abia, highlighted the effectiveness of inter-agency cooperation and intelligence-led policing in combating transnational organised crime.

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NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Marwa (rtd.), commended the officers of the Tincan Command and the Marine Intelligence Unit for their professionalism, noting that the recent seizures indicate a coordinated attempt by international drug syndicates to flood Nigeria with synthetic cannabis strains.

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Marwa stated that the synergy between NDLEA, Customs Service, and international partners, such as the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, the UK-HOIO, and the US DEA, is yielding significant results, and vowed to break every link in the supply chain and bring those behind the shipments to justice.