Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency have intercepted a large consignment of high-potency cannabis, popularly known as “Canadian Loud,” worth an estimated ₦10.4 billion at the Tincan Island Port in Lagos State.
The illicit shipment, weighing about 4,173.5 kilogrammes, was discovered after weeks of intelligence-led surveillance and coordinated tracking across multiple countries, according to the agency.
NDLEA spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, said the container carrying the drugs was closely monitored from its departure point in Toronto, Canada, on March 28, before being moved through multiple transit points, including Montreal, Morocco, and finally Nigeria.
He explained that the consignment was hidden inside two used vehicles—a Ford bus and a Mercedes-Benz C300—concealed within a shipping container that arrived in Lagos on May 9 via sea freight after being transported by rail in earlier stages of the journey.
Babafemi stated, “Operatives of the NDLEA have intercepted a large consignment of Canadian Loud, a high-potency strain of cannabis, weighing 4,173.5 kilogrammes, with a street value of Ten Billion, Four Hundred and Thirty-Three Million, Seven Hundred and Fifty Thousand Naira at Tincan Island Port, Lagos.”
He added that the operation was made possible through sustained surveillance and collaboration with international partners, including the United States Drug Enforcement Administration, the United Kingdom Home Office International Operations, and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.
Also speaking during the official handover of the seized drugs, the Director of Seaports Operations at NDLEA, ACG Ibinabo Archie-Abia, said the success of the operation demonstrated stronger inter-agency cooperation between the NDLEA and the Nigeria Customs Service, alongside other security agencies.
NDLEA Chairman, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Marwa (rtd.), described the seizure as part of a growing pattern of international drug syndicates attempting to use Nigerian ports as entry points for illicit substances.
He said, “This latest interception sends a strong warning to international drug cartels that Nigeria’s ports are no longer easy routes for trafficking. Our collaboration with Customs and global partners is producing results, and we will continue until these networks are dismantled.”
Officials also confirmed that the seizure comes just days after another major raid in Lagos, where thousands of parcels of the same substance were recovered from a suspected stash house in Lekki.
Authorities say investigations are ongoing to identify and prosecute those behind the shipment.
