Agency seizes 4.1-tonne shipment tracked from Canada through Morocco to Tincan Island Port
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency has intercepted a massive consignment of ‘Canadian Loud’, a high-potency cannabis strain valued at over ₦10.4 billion at Tincan Island Port in Lagos, marking one of its largest anti-narcotics operations in 2026.
The seizure involved 4,173.5kg of the illicit substance and followed weeks of coordinated intelligence gathering and international surveillance involving security agencies in Nigeria, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Canada.
According to the NDLEA, the shipment originated from Toronto, Canada, on 28 March 2026. It was moved by rail to Montreal before being loaded onto a vessel bound for Morocco. NDLEA spokesman Femi Babafemi said the consignment was later transloaded onto another ship at Tanger Med Port before arriving at Lagos Port on 9 May 2026 aboard a separate vessel.
The container was closely monitored for over two months by the agency’s Marine Intelligence Unit and the Tincan Island Strategic Command, in collaboration with the Nigeria Customs Service and foreign partners including the US Drug Enforcement Administration, the UK Home Office International Operations, and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.
The operation culminated in a joint inspection on 12 May 2026, leading to the discovery of the drugs concealed inside two used vehicles — a Ford bus and a Mercedes-Benz C300 — packed within the container.
The interception comes days after NDLEA operatives raided a luxury mansion in Lekki, Lagos, where 4,000 parcels of the same substance weighing 2,326kg and valued at over ₦5.8 billion were recovered.
Officials described the back-to-back seizures as evidence of an intensified attempt by international drug cartels to flood Nigeria with synthetic cannabis through seaports and urban distribution networks.
NDLEA Chairman and CEO, Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (Rtd), commended the operatives involved and said the seizure demonstrates growing synergy among local and international security agencies.
“This second massive seizure in less than a week is a clear message to international syndicates who think they can use our ports as entry points for their soul-destroying trade,” Marwa said.
“We will not rest until every link in this supply chain is broken and those behind these shipments are brought to justice.”
NDLEA Director of Seaports Operations, ACG Ibinabo Archie-Abia, said the operation underscores the effectiveness of intelligence-led policing and inter-agency cooperation in tackling transnational organised crime. He noted that the concealment method highlights the evolving sophistication of trafficking networks targeting Nigeria as both a transit and consumption hub.
Authorities said investigations are ongoing to identify the Nigerian and foreign collaborators behind the shipment and to dismantle the wider trafficking network linked to the consignment.
The NDLEA stated it will sustain intensified surveillance at ports, borders, and urban centres as part of its broader strategy to curb drug abuse and trafficking across the country.
