The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has intercepted about 6,778.5 kilogrammes of Canadian Loud, a potent strain of cannabis, intercepted at the Apapa Port in Lagos during a joint operation with the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) and other security agencies.

The illicit consignment was formally handed over to the agency on Wednesday following a joint examination of two containers at the port.

Speaking during the handover ceremony, NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig.-Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), described the seizure as a major milestone in inter-agency collaboration against drug trafficking in Nigeria.

Represented by the Director of Seaport Operations, Ibinabo Archie-Abia, Marwa said the operation, alongside another major seizure made on June 24, sent a strong message that security agencies were intensifying efforts to dismantle organised drug trafficking networks operating within and outside the country.

According to him, the interceptions followed months of intelligence-led operations conducted by the NDLEA’s Special Investigation and Marine Intelligence units in collaboration with the Nigeria Customs Service and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP).

Marwa disclosed that the drug syndicates routed the shipments from Toronto, Canada, through Tangier Med in Morocco before they were transshipped to Tin Can Island Port and eventually Apapa Port in an attempt to evade law enforcement.

He said NDLEA operatives successfully tracked the consignments across multiple countries before intercepting them in Lagos.

The NDLEA chairman also vowed that the agency would go beyond confiscating illicit drugs by identifying, arresting and prosecuting those behind the trafficking network, while confiscating assets linked to the criminal enterprise.

He commended officers of the NDLEA, the Nigeria Customs Service and other security agencies for their professionalism, attributing the success to effective intelligence sharing, operational synergy and international cooperation.

Earlier, Comptroller-General of Customs, Dr. Bashir Adeniyi, unveiled nine containers containing expired pharmaceutical products, narcotic drugs and medicines bearing fake National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) labels with a combined value of about ₦53.4 billion.

According to Adeniyi, the seizures included 3,639 parcels of Canadian Loud weighing 1,819.5 kilogrammes concealed in a 40-foot container alongside three imported vehicles and automobile spare parts, as well as 9,918 sachets of cannabis weighing about 4.95 metric tonnes hidden in another 40-foot container with two imported vehicles and household items.

He said further inspection revealed that the pharmaceutical products were not registered with NAFDAC despite documents presented by the importers, leading to their seizure under the provisions of the Nigeria Customs Service Act, 2023.

Adeniyi said the operation was aimed at protecting public health, preserving communities and preventing dangerous drugs and unregistered medicines from reaching Nigerians.

(Photo Credit: The Hope Newspaper)