The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has intercepted a massive consignment of Canadian Loud, a high-potency synthetic strain of cannabis, valued at over N10.4 billion at the Tincan Island Port in Lagos.
This was made known in a statement signed by NDLEA’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, on Wednesday.
The agency disclosed that the seized shipment weighed 4,173.5 kilograms and had an estimated street value of N10,433,750,000.
According to the statement, the illicit consignment was traced to Toronto, Canada, where it departed on March 28, then transported by rail to Montreal and loaded onto the cargo vessel Jakarta Express. The shipment reportedly arrived at Tanger Med Port in Morocco on April 15, where it was transferred to another vessel, Osaka Voyage, which eventually berthed in Lagos on May 9.
The anti-narcotics agency said the seizure followed more than two months of intelligence gathering, surveillance and coordinated tracking by its Marine Intelligence Unit and the Tincan Island Strategic Command.
NDLEA operatives, working alongside officials of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) and other security agencies, eventually intercepted the shipment during a joint examination of the container on Tuesday, May 12.
The operation was carried out in collaboration with international partners, including the United Kingdom Home Office International Operations, the United States Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.
The agency said the narcotics were professionally concealed inside two vehicles: a used Ford bus and a Mercedes-Benz C300 car hidden within the shipping container.
The latest interception came barely four days after NDLEA operatives uncovered another major cache of Canadian Loud at a Lekki mansion allegedly used as a stash house, where 4,000 parcels weighing 2,326 kilograms and valued at over N5.8 billion were recovered.
Speaking during the handover of the seized exhibits by the Nigeria Customs Service on Wednesday, NDLEA Director of Seaports Operations, ACG Ibinabo ArchieAbia, described the operation as another testament to the growing synergy among security agencies and international partners in tackling transnational drug trafficking.
“This achievement once again demonstrates the effectiveness of inter-agency cooperation, international collaboration, and intelligence-driven operations in combating transnational organised crime and illicit drug trafficking,” ArchieAbia said.
Reacting to the seizure, NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brigadier General Mohamed Buba Marwa (rtd), commended officers of the Tincan Command and the Marine Intelligence Unit for their vigilance and professionalism.
Marwa said the repeated interceptions of Canadian Loud shipments suggest a coordinated effort by international drug syndicates to flood the Nigerian market with synthetic cannabis products.
“This second massive seizure in less than a week is a clear message to the international syndicates who think they can use our ports as entry points for their soul-destroying trade, that the synergy between NDLEA and Customs Service, as well as other security agencies and our international partners like the Canadian Royal Mounted Police, the UK-HOIO and the US DEA is yielding fantastic results,” he said.
“We will not rest until every link in this supply chain is broken and those behind these shipments are brought to justice,” Marwa added.
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