NDLEA operatives have seized a massive shipment of Canadian Loud, a strong strain of cannabis, weighing 4,173.5 kilograms and estimated to be worth more than N10.4 billion at the Tincan Island Port in Lagos.
The anti-drug agency revealed that the operation followed weeks of intelligence gathering, surveillance, and tracking of the container, which reportedly changed transit points several times after departing Toronto, Canada, on March 28.
Investigators disclosed that the shipment was initially moved by rail to Montreal before being loaded onto a cargo vessel bound for Morocco. After arriving at Tanger Med Port on April 15, the container was transferred to another vessel that later arrived in Lagos on May 9.
NDLEA said its Marine Intelligence Unit and Tincan Island Strategic Command monitored the shipment for over two months in collaboration with international security agencies, including authorities from the United Kingdom, the United States, and Canada. The drugs were eventually uncovered during a joint inspection involving NDLEA officers, Customs personnel, and other security operatives on May 12.
Officials noted that the illegal substances were carefully hidden inside a used Ford bus and a Mercedes-Benz C300 vehicle placed within the shipping container.
The seizure comes just days after NDLEA officers uncovered another large cache of the same substance at a mansion in Lekki, where 2,326 kilograms packed in 4,000 parcels were recovered.
Speaking after the interception, the Director of Seaports Operations described the operation as proof of the success of intelligence-led enforcement and collaboration among local and international agencies in tackling drug trafficking networks.
