The NDLEA Canadian Loud seizure has marked another significant milestone in Nigeria’s fight against transnational drug trafficking after the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) formally took custody of 6,778.5 kilograms of Canadian Loud, a potent strain of cannabis intercepted at the Apapa Port in Lagos.
The illicit consignment was recovered during a coordinated operation involving the NDLEA, the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) and other security agencies, with authorities describing the interception as one of the country’s major successes against organised international drug trafficking networks.
The formal handover ceremony took place at Apapa Port on Wednesday, where the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the NDLEA, retired Brigadier General Mohamed Buba Marwa, represented by the agency’s Director of Seaport Operations, ACGN Ibinabo Archie-Abia, described the seizure as a major achievement made possible through effective collaboration among security agencies.
According to Marwa, the operation resulted from months of intelligence gathering and surveillance carried out by the NDLEA’s Special Investigation Unit and Marine Intelligence Unit in partnership with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), the Nigeria Customs Service and other security organisations. He explained that the successful interceptions, recorded on June 15 and June 24, 2026, demonstrate the agency’s resolve to dismantle organised criminal syndicates operating across international borders.
“Through these two major seizures, 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,” Marwa said.
Marwa disclosed that investigators uncovered sophisticated international shipping routes designed to conceal the movement of the illicit cargo before it reached Nigeria.
According to him, surveillance teams monitored the shipments across several countries and continents before successfully intercepting them at Apapa Port. The first container, identified as CAAU 7569127, departed Toronto, Canada, on April 16, 2026, before travelling by rail to Montreal. From there, it was loaded onto the vessel Ghallow Express, arriving at Tangier Med, Morocco, on May 6.
The cargo was subsequently transferred onto Spartel Trader, which arrived at Tin Can Island Port on May 27 before the container was moved to the Global Bonded Terminal and later transported by water to Apapa Port on June 10. Security agencies intercepted the shipment during a joint examination involving NDLEA operatives, Customs officers and other enforcement agencies.
The second container, bearing identification number HAMU 3246311, departed Montreal on May 1 aboard Africa Express before being trans-shipped onto Algeciras Express on May 15. It also arrived at Tin Can Island Port before being transferred to Apapa Port on June 22, where security operatives intercepted the consignment following intelligence reports.
Speaking during the ceremony, Marwa stressed that the agency’s campaign extends beyond the seizure of illegal drugs to dismantling the financial structures supporting international trafficking syndicates. He said the enormous profits generated from illicit drug trafficking continue to finance criminal activities and threaten national security.
“We recognise that the staggering profits generated by illicit drug trafficking continue to fuel crimes against humanity and against our nation. Our work does not end with seizure. 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.
Marwa commended officers of the NDLEA, the Nigeria Customs Service and other participating security agencies for their professionalism throughout the operation. He described the successful NDLEA Canadian Loud seizure as evidence of the effectiveness of intelligence sharing, international partnerships and coordinated enforcement operations in disrupting transnational organised crime.
According to him, sustained collaboration between local and international security agencies remains critical to strengthening Nigeria’s fight against illicit drug trafficking and preventing criminal organisations from exploiting maritime routes to move prohibited substances into the country.
