The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has intercepted and recovered seven high-end luxury vehicles that were reportedly stolen from Canada and smuggled into Nigeria through the Tin Can Island Port in Lagos.
The vehicles, which include a 2019 Lexus RX350, 2019 Mercedes-Benz G550, 2023 Range Rover, 2019 Lamborghini Huracán, 2021 Rolls-Royce Dawn Convertible, 2018 Lamborghini Aventador, and a 2026 Toyota Tundra, were confirmed to have been illegally exported before being traced to Nigeria.
According to internal Customs documents dated May 5, 2026, the recovery followed months of intelligence sharing between the NCS and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, who had been tracking the stolen vehicles across international shipping routes.
Speaking during the official handover of the recovered vehicles to the Deputy High Commissioner of Canada to Nigeria, Nasser Salihou, the Customs Area Controller of Tin Can Island Command, Frank Onyeka, explained that one of the vehicles was discovered concealed inside a container and was stopped before leaving Customs control.
He said swift action was taken immediately after receiving intelligence alerts from Canadian authorities, leading to the isolation and seizure of the suspicious shipment.
“What looked like a routine cargo movement quickly turned into an international investigation. Once we received the alert, we placed the consignment under watch and secured the vehicle pending verification,” Onyeka said.
He added that Customs insisted on completing the handover directly with Canadian officials to ensure transparency and maintain the integrity of the process.
Onyeka described the operation as a clear sign of Nigeria Customs’ growing capacity to combat transnational vehicle theft networks that use global shipping systems to move stolen goods across borders.
The NCS also noted that the recovery reflects stronger cooperation between Nigeria and Canada in intelligence sharing, cargo monitoring, and enforcement against organised cross-border crime.
