NDLEA intercepts cannabis worth N10.4bn at Lagos port

Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency have intercepted 4,173.5 kilograms of Canadian Loud, a high-potency strain of cannabis valued at N10.4bn, at the Tincan Island Port in Lagos.

The NDLEA said the seizure followed months of intelligence gathering, surveillance and tracking of the shipment, which originated from Toronto, Canada, on March 28 before passing through Montreal and Morocco en route to Nigeria.

According to the agency, the container arrived at the Lagos Port on May 9 aboard the vessel Osaka voyage after it was transloaded multiple times during the journey.

The anti-narcotics agency disclosed that the operation was carried out by its Marine Intelligence Unit and Tincan Island Strategic Command in collaboration with the United Kingdom Home Office International Operations, the United States Drug Enforcement Administration and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.

The consignment was eventually intercepted on Tuesday during a joint examination involving NDLEA operatives, officials of the Nigeria Customs Service and other security agencies at the port.

The agency said the illicit drugs were professionally concealed inside a used Ford bus and a Mercedes-Benz C300 vehicle stashed within the shipping container to evade detection.

Speaking during the handover of the seized exhibits on Wednesday, the NDLEA Director of Seaports Operations, Archie-Abia Ibinabo, said the operation demonstrated the effectiveness of inter-agency collaboration and intelligence-driven strategies in combating transnational drug trafficking.

Reacting to the development, the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the NDLEA, retired Brig.-Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa, commended officers involved in the operation and vowed that the agency, alongside local and international partners, would continue targeting drug syndicates until the illicit supply chain in Nigeria is completely dismantled.