Tin Can Customs, NDLEA Bust ₦16.6bn Cannabis Smuggling Ring, Trace Shipment from Canada to Lagos
Kathy Kyari
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Tin Can Island Port Command, and the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have intercepted 4,173.5 kilograms of Cannabis Indica worth ₦16.694 billion in street value at the Lagos port, in what authorities described as another major breakthrough against transnational drug trafficking networks.
The seizure, made from a 40-foot container marked HAMU 247034/8, came barely two weeks after both agencies uncovered another large consignment of illicit drugs at the command, reinforcing growing concerns over attempts by international drug syndicates to route narcotics through Nigerian seaports.
Speaking during the official handover of the seized drugs to the NDLEA on Wednesday, the Customs Area Controller of the Tin Can Island Port Command, Frank Onyeka, said the latest interception was proof that security agencies were intensifying efforts against smugglers.
“Interestingly, it feels like we were here just yesterday. Exactly two weeks ago, precisely on the 30th of April, 2026, we gathered in this same manner to brief the public on a major interception made through intelligence and collaboration between the Nigeria Customs Service and the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency. Today, we are back here for yet another significant seizure,” Onyeka said.
He disclosed that the interception followed credible intelligence jointly gathered by the NCS and NDLEA, leading officers of the Enforcement Unit to subject the container to detailed physical examination.
“Consequently, the container which also originated from Canada, just like the previous one was found to contain 8,347 packages of Cannabis Indica weighing a total of 4,173.5 kilograms with an estimated street value of N16,694,000,000,” he stated.
The Comptroller described the shipment as a calculated attempt by criminal elements to undermine national security and destroy lives for profit.
“This is not just another seizure. This represents a deliberate attempt by criminal elements to jeopardize National Security, endanger lives and profit from the destruction of our hardworking young men and women of our country. Thankfully, due to the vigilance and professionalism of our officers and partner agencies, that consignment will not get to the streets,” Onyeka added.
He warned that the command would not stop at seizures alone but would ensure that all individuals linked to the shipment were identified and prosecuted.
“We are also determined to go beyond seizures. Those behind these shipments will be identified, traced, arrested, and prosecuted,” he said, while also warning insiders aiding criminal operations that they would be tracked down and dealt with according to the law.
Onyeka commended the Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, and the Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of the NDLEA, Buba Marwa, for strengthening operational collaboration between both agencies in the interest of national security.
Receiving the seized consignment on behalf of the NDLEA, the Director of Seaport Operations, Ibinabo Archieabia, described the interception as a major victory against criminal merchants involved in illicit drug trafficking.
“This is an auspicious event where Nigeria is being defended from the daring and wicked activities of criminal merchants who are more concerned with profiteering than with the lives, health, and wellbeing of innocent citizens,” she said.
Archieabia noted that the seized drugs, which tested positive for Cannabis Indica, weighed 4,173.5kg and were intercepted alongside vehicles used to conceal and convey the illicit substances.
According to her, the operation was the outcome of painstaking intelligence gathering, sustained surveillance and international collaboration spanning over two to three months.
“The marine intelligence unit of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, working in close collaboration with our foreign partners particularly the Homeland Security Investigations, the United States Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police diligently and tenaciously monitored the movement and trail of this particular consignment for over two to three months,” she stated.
She further revealed that the smugglers employed multiple shipping routes in an attempt to evade detection.
According to Archieabia, the container originated from Toronto, Canada, on March 28, 2026, before moving by rail to Montreal, where it was loaded aboard the vessel Jakarta Express Voyage. The shipment later arrived at Tanger Med Port on April 15, where it was discharged and reloaded onto another vessel, Osaka Voyage, before eventually arriving at Tin Can Port on May 9, 2026.
“The criminals intended to distort and frustrate the law from monitoring their deadly container by having multiple layers of movement,” she explained.
She praised the Nigeria Customs Service, the Nigerian Ports Authority and other security agencies for their professionalism and cooperation during the joint examination that led to the recovery.
Archieabia added that the latest interception followed previous seizures of 4,729kg of Cannabis Indica on April 27 and another 610.5kg on April 30, 2026, stressing that the renewed Memorandum of Understanding between the NDLEA and NCS was already yielding significant operational results.
“This achievement once again demonstrates the effectiveness of inter-agency international cooperation, intelligence-driven collaboration, and operations in combating transnational organized crime and illicit drug trafficking,” she said.
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