Korede Abdullah 
LAGOS, Nigeria – Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency seize 4,173.5 kilograms of Canadian Loud cannabis worth an estimated ₦10.43bn at Tincan Island Port in one of Nigeria’s largest recent drug interceptions.
NDLEA spokesperson Femi Babafemi on Wednesday says the high-potency cannabis shipment is concealed inside a used Ford bus and a Mercedes-Benz C300 packed within a shipping container arriving in Lagos on May 9.
“Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency have intercepted a large consignment of Canadian Loud,” the statement says.
According to the agency, the operation follows more than two months of intelligence gathering and international surveillance involving the United Kingdom Home Office, the United States Drug Enforcement Administration and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.
Investigators trace the shipment from Toronto through Montreal and Tanger Med Port before it arrives in Nigeria aboard the vessel Osaka.
Babafemi says the seizure takes place during a joint inspection involving NDLEA officers, the Nigeria Customs Service and other security agencies.
The latest operation comes only days after NDLEA operatives raid a mansion in Lekki and recover 2,326 kilograms of the same substance valued at more than ₦5.8bn.
Director of Seaports Operations Ibinabo Archie-Abia says the interception demonstrates the importance of intelligence-driven operations and inter-agency collaboration.
NDLEA Chairman Mohamed Marwa describes the seizure as evidence of persistent attempts by international drug syndicates to use Nigerian ports as transit hubs.
“This second massive seizure in less than a week is a clear message to international syndicates,” Marwa says.
The agency vows to intensify crackdowns on transnational drug trafficking networks operating through Nigeria’s seaports.
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Mirian Gom 
