The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, has intercepted a massive consignment of Canadian Loud, a potent strain of cannabis, valued at over N10.4 billion at the Tincan Island Port in Lagos.
According to the agency, the seized consignment weighed 4,173.5 kilograms and was intercepted following extensive intelligence gathering, surveillance, and tracking of the shipment across multiple international routes.
The illicit cargo reportedly departed Toronto, Canada, on March 28 before being transported by rail to Montreal, where it was loaded onto a vessel bound for Morocco. The container was later transferred onto another vessel that eventually arrived at the Lagos Port on May 9, 2026.
NDLEA disclosed that its Marine Intelligence Unit and the Tincan Island Strategic Command monitored the shipment 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 operation culminated in the seizure of the drugs on May 12 during a joint inspection involving NDLEA operatives, officials of the Nigeria Customs Service, and other security agencies.
The agency noted that the development comes just days after operatives uncovered another large cache of Canadian Loud at a mansion in Lekki, Lagos, where 2,326 kilograms of the substance valued at over N5.8 billion were recovered.
Investigations revealed that the drugs were carefully concealed inside a used Ford bus and a Mercedes Benz C300 car hidden within the shipping container.
Speaking during the handover of the seized exhibits at the Lagos Port, NDLEA Director of Seaports Operations, ACG Ibinabo ArchieAbia, described the interception as proof of the effectiveness of intelligence-led operations and inter-agency collaboration in tackling transnational drug trafficking.
Reacting to the seizure, NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Mohamed Buba Marwa, commended officers involved in the operation for their professionalism and vigilance.
Marwa said the repeated seizures of Canadian Loud within a short period indicate a coordinated effort by international drug syndicates to flood the Nigerian market with synthetic cannabis products.
He assured that the agency, alongside local and international partners, would continue efforts to dismantle the entire illicit drug supply chain and bring those behind the shipments to justice.