NDLEA takes custody of seized 6,778.5 kilograms of Canadian Loud at Lagos port

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ARTICLE AD BOX

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, has formally taken custody of 6,778.5 kilograms of Canadian Loud, a potent strain of cannabis, intercepted at the Apapa Port in Lagos during a joint operation with the Nigeria Customs Service, NCS, and other security agencies.

The agency disclosed this in a statement on Wednesday by its Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi.

The illicit consignment was seized during the examination of two containers following months of intelligence-led investigations conducted by the NDLEA’s Special Investigation Unit and Marine Intelligence Unit in collaboration with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, RCMP, and the Nigeria Customs Service.

Speaking during the handover ceremony at Apapa Port on Wednesday, NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), represented by the Director of Seaport Operations, ACGN Ibinabo Archie-Abia, described the seizure as a major milestone in inter-agency collaboration against drug trafficking.

Marwa said the operation followed two major interceptions recorded on June 15 and June 24, 2026, and underscored the agency’s determination to dismantle organised drug trafficking networks operating within and outside Nigeria.

He explained that the traffickers adopted complex international shipping routes in an attempt to evade detection, but NDLEA operatives successfully tracked the shipments across multiple countries before intercepting them at the port.

According to him, the first container, identified as CAAU 7569127, departed Toronto, Canada, on April 16, 2026, was transported by rail to Montreal and shipped through Morocco before arriving at Tin Can Island Port and later Apapa Port, where it was intercepted during a joint inspection.

The second container, HAMU 3246311, left Montreal on May 1 aboard the vessel *Africa Express*, was later trans-shipped onto *Algeciras Express*, arrived at Tin Can Island Port, and was subsequently transferred to Apapa Port, where NDLEA officers intercepted it.

Marwa said the agency would go beyond confiscating illicit drugs by targeting the financial networks behind drug trafficking through the arrest and prosecution of suspects and the confiscation of criminal assets.

He also commended the NDLEA, the Nigeria Customs Service and other security agencies for their professionalism and cooperation, describing the successful operation as evidence of the effectiveness of intelligence sharing, inter-agency collaboration and international partnerships in combating transnational organised crime.