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 in what authorities describe as one of the largest drug seizures in Nigeria’s history.
The illicit consignment was intercepted during a joint examination of two containers by NDLEA operatives, the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), and other security agencies following months of intelligence-driven investigations.
Speaking during the formal handover ceremony at Apapa Port on Wednesday, July 1, 2026, the Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of the NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa, represented by the Agency’s Director of Seaport Operations, ACGN Ibinabo Archie-Abia, described the seizure as a landmark achievement in inter-agency collaboration against transnational drug trafficking.
According to a statement signed by the NDLEA Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, Marwa said the seizures, recorded on June 15 and June 24, 2026, send a strong warning to organised criminal networks.
“Through two major seizures recorded on 15th and 24th June 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 stated.
Marwa disclosed that the successful operation resulted from months of intelligence gathering by the NDLEA Special Investigation Unit and Marine Intelligence Unit in close collaboration with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) and the Nigeria Customs Service.
He explained that the traffickers deployed sophisticated international maritime routes in an attempt to evade detection, but NDLEA surveillance teams tracked both consignments across multiple continents before their eventual interception.
According to him, the first container, identified as CAAU 7569127, departed Toronto, Canada, on April 16, 2026, before moving by rail to Montreal and subsequently through Morocco en route to Nigeria. It was intercepted after arriving at Apapa Port on June 10.
The second container, HAMU 3246311, left Montreal on May 1 aboard the vessel Africa Express, was later trans-shipped onto Algeciras Express, and arrived at Apapa Port on June 22, where NDLEA officers and other security agencies intercepted it.
Marwa stressed that the agency’s mission extends beyond drug seizures to dismantling the financial networks sustaining international drug trafficking.
“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.
He also commended the officers and personnel of the NDLEA, the Nigeria Customs Service and other participating security agencies for their professionalism, patriotism and commitment, noting that the successful operation demonstrated the power of intelligence sharing, international cooperation and inter-agency synergy in combating organised crime.
The NDLEA reaffirmed its resolve to intensify efforts against drug trafficking networks and prevent illicit substances from reaching Nigerian communities.
