July 1 (THEWILL) — Nigeria has foiled a major transnational drug smuggling operation after the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) took custody of 6,778.5 kilograms of Canadian Loud, a high-grade strain of cannabis, intercepted at the Apapa Port in Lagos.
The seizure, one of the largest at a Nigerian seaport in recent years, followed a months-long intelligence-led operation involving the NDLEA, the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), other security agencies and international law enforcement partners.
The illicit consignment was intercepted during a joint examination of two shipping containers by operatives of the NDLEA, the Nigeria Customs Service and other security agencies before being formally handed over to the anti-narcotics agency at a ceremony held at the Apapa Port on Wednesday.
Speaking at the handover ceremony, the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the NDLEA, Brig.-Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), represented by the Agency’s Director of Seaport Operations, ACGN Ibinabo Archie-Abia, described the seizure as a landmark achievement in intelligence-driven enforcement and inter-agency collaboration.
Marwa said the operation underscored the Federal Government’s resolve to dismantle organised criminal syndicates involved in illicit drug trafficking.
“Through two major seizures recorded on June 15 and June 24, 2026, we send a clear and unequivocal message that we are more determined than ever to dismantle organised criminal syndicates and drug trafficking networks operating within and beyond our borders”, he said.
He disclosed that the historic seizures followed months of painstaking intelligence-led operations conducted by the NDLEA’s Special Investigation Unit and Marine Intelligence Unit in close collaboration with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) and the Nigeria Customs Service.
According to him, the drug syndicates employed sophisticated international maritime routes in a bid to evade law enforcement agencies, but sustained surveillance and intelligence sharing enabled authorities to monitor the consignments across multiple continents before intercepting them at the Lagos port.
Marwa revealed that the first container, identified as CAAU 7569127, departed Toronto, Canada, on April 16, 2026. It was transported by rail to Montreal before being loaded aboard the vessel Ghallow Express.
The shipment arrived at Tangier Med Port in Morocco on May 6, where it was trans-shipped onto the Spartel Trader, which berthed at Tin Can Island Port on May 27. It was subsequently transferred to the Global Bonded Terminal before being moved by water to Apapa Port on June 10, where it was intercepted during a joint examination by NDLEA, Customs and other security agencies.
The second container, HAMU 3246311, departed Montreal on May 1 aboard the Africa Express before being trans-shipped onto the Algeciras Express on May 15.
After arriving at Tin Can Island Port and being discharged on June 4, the container was moved to Apapa Port on June 22, where NDLEA operatives and other security agencies intercepted the consignment.
Marwa stressed that the agency’s campaign against drug trafficking would extend beyond seizures to dismantling the financial networks sustaining organised criminal enterprises.
“We recognise that the staggering profits generated by illicit drug trafficking continue to fuel crimes against humanity and against our nation despite the devastating toll they take on individuals, families and communities. As such, we remain resolute. 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 whatsoever from their illegal enterprise”, he said.
The NDLEA chairman also commended officers of the NDLEA, the Nigeria Customs Service and other security agencies for their professionalism and commitment, describing the operation as a testament to the effectiveness of intelligence sharing and inter-agency collaboration.
“I commend, in the strongest terms, the dedication, professionalism and courage of the officers and men of the NDLEA, the Nigeria Customs Service and all sister security agencies who refused to look away and allow these dangerous substances to flood our communities. This success was made possible by the intelligence-sharing and operational synergy displayed by every participating agency. It is a powerful demonstration of what inter-agency collaboration, international cooperation and intelligence-driven operations can achieve in the fight against transnational organised crime and illicit drug trafficking”, Marwa added.
Investigations are ongoing to identify and apprehend those behind the failed smuggling operation, while the NDLEA has vowed to ensure that all those connected to the shipment are prosecuted and stripped of any proceeds from the illicit drug trade.
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