The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has taken formal custody of a staggering 6,778.5 kilograms of “Canadian Loud,” a potent strain of cannabis, seized at Apapa Port in Lagos during a collaborative operation with the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) and other security agencies.
The agency announced the development in a statement on Wednesday issued by its Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi.
The illicit consignment was intercepted following months of intelligence-led investigations by the NDLEA’s Special Investigation Unit and Marine Intelligence Unit, in partnership with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) and the NCS.
Speaking at the handover ceremony at Apapa Port, NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), represented by the Director of Seaport Operations, ACGN Ibinabo Archie-Abia, hailed the seizure as “a major milestone in inter-agency collaboration against drug trafficking.”
Marwa noted that the operation built on two major interceptions on June 15 and June 24, 2026. He stressed the agency’s resolve “to dismantle organised drug trafficking networks operating within and outside Nigeria.”
Traffickers reportedly used complex international shipping routes to evade detection. However, NDLEA operatives tracked the shipments across multiple countries.
The details of the containers include, Container CAAU 7569127 which departed Toronto, Canada, on April 16, 2026, railed to Montreal, shipped via Morocco, and routed through Tin Can Island Port before reaching Apapa Port.
And, Container HAMU 3246311 which left Montreal on May 1 aboard the vessel Africa Express, trans-shipped onto Algeciras Express, and followed a similar path to Apapa Port.
Marwa emphasized a broader strategy, “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 commended the NDLEA, NCS, and other agencies for their “professionalism and cooperation,” describing the success as “evidence of the effectiveness of intelligence sharing, inter-agency collaboration and international partnerships in combating transnational organised crime.”
The latest bust shows Nigeria’s intensified fight against high-potency cannabis imports and transnational drug syndicates.
Investigations are ongoing, with more arrests and asset seizures anticipated.
