NDLEA Seizes Over 6.7 Tonnes of 'Canadian Loud' Cannabis at Apapa Port

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has announced a significant bust, taking possession of a staggering 6,778.5 kilograms of a potent cannabis variety known as “Canadian Loud.” This substantial illicit consignment was discovered within two separate containers at Lagos’s Apapa seaport, following a coordinated operation involving the Nigeria Customs Service and other security apparatuses.

The official transfer of the seized narcotics took place at a port ceremony on Wednesday, July 1. During the event, Brigadier General Mohamed Marwa (Rtd), the Chairman of the NDLEA, conveyed his remarks through the agency’s Director of Seaport Operations, ACGN Ibinabo Archie-Abia. Marwa lauded the operation as a pivotal example of effective inter-agency teamwork. He further disclosed that the drug seizures occurred in two distinct incidents on June 15 and June 24.

According to Marwa, these interceptions were the culmination of several months of intelligence-driven surveillance. The NDLEA’s Special Investigation Unit and Marine Intelligence Unit, in partnership with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) and Nigeria Customs, meticulously tracked the traffickers. Operatives had identified that these criminal networks employed complex, multi-continental maritime routes to transport their shipments, aiming to circumvent detection.

Providing precise details on the movement of the shipments, Marwa elaborated that the first container, identified as CAAU 7569127, commenced its journey from Toronto on April 16. It then traveled by rail to Montreal before being shipped through Tangier Med in Morocco. The consignment subsequently arrived at Tin Can Island Port on May 27 and was ultimately intercepted at Apapa on June 10. The second container, HAMU 3246311, departed Montreal on May 1, underwent trans-shipment at Algeciras, was discharged at Tin Can Island on June 4, moved to Apapa on June 22, and was subsequently seized there.

Marwa emphasized that the agency’s efforts would extend beyond mere confiscation. He pledged to vigorously pursue the financial infrastructure supporting these syndicates, ensuring that traffickers “derive no benefit whatsoever” from their illicit trade. The NDLEA also aims to identify, apprehend, and prosecute all individuals involved in these operations. He commended the dedication and professionalism demonstrated by the personnel from NDLEA, Customs, and other participating security agencies, asserting that the operation served as clear evidence of the success achievable through intelligence-led, cross-border collaboration in combating transnational organized crime.