The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has officially taken custody of 6,778.5 kilograms of Canadian Loud, a highly potent strain of cannabis intercepted at the Apapa Seaport in Lagos during a joint anti-drug operation.
The illicit shipment was formally handed over to the agency on Wednesday following its interception during a coordinated examination of two shipping containers by operatives of the NDLEA, the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) and other security agencies.
Speaking during the handover ceremony, NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), represented by the agency’s Director of Seaport Operations, ACGN Ibinabo Archie-Abia, described the seizure as a major breakthrough in Nigeria’s fight against transnational drug trafficking.
Marwa said the operation resulted from months of intelligence gathering led by the NDLEA’s Special Investigation Unit and Marine Intelligence Unit in collaboration with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and the Nigeria Customs Service.
According to him, international drug trafficking syndicates employed complex shipping routes across several countries in an attempt to evade security agencies. However, intelligence-driven surveillance enabled authorities to monitor the consignments from Canada through Morocco before intercepting them at Nigerian ports.
He disclosed that the first container, identified as CAAU 7569127, departed Toronto on April 16, 2026, before moving by rail to Montreal and being shipped through Tangier Med in Morocco. It eventually arrived at Tin Can Island Port before being transferred to Apapa Port, where it was intercepted during a joint examination on June 15.
The second container, HAMU 3246311, left Montreal on May 1 aboard the Africa Express, was later transferred to another vessel, and eventually arrived at Apapa Port on June 22, where NDLEA operatives were waiting to intercept it.
Marwa said the agency’s efforts would not stop at confiscating illicit drugs but would extend to dismantling the criminal organisations behind the shipments.
“Our work does not end with seizure. We are committed to identifying, arresting and prosecuting those responsible, confiscating their criminal assets, and ensuring they derive no benefit from their illegal enterprise,” he said.
He also commended officers of the NDLEA, the Nigeria Customs Service and other participating security agencies for their professionalism and commitment, describing the operation as proof of the effectiveness of intelligence sharing, international cooperation and inter-agency collaboration in combating organised crime.
The seizure ranks among the largest cannabis interceptions recorded at Nigeria’s seaports and underscores the authorities’ renewed efforts to prevent illicit drugs from entering communities across the country.
