The Nigeria Customs Service and the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have intercepted 8,347 packages of Cannabis Indica weighing 4,173.5 kilogrammes and valued at ₦16.6 billion at Tin Can Island Port in Lagos. The seizure came barely two weeks after both agencies uncovered another 4,729-kilogramme cannabis shipment worth ₦18.96 billion at the same port.
Displaying the drugs to journalists on Wednesday, Customs Area Controller of Tin Can Island Port Command, Comptroller Frank Onyeka, said the operation was driven by credible intelligence jointly gathered by Customs and the NDLEA. He disclosed that officers intercepted a 40-foot container from Canada marked HAMU 247034/8 and discovered the concealed drugs hidden inside a used Ford bus and a Mercedes-Benz C300 vehicle.
Onyeka said the latest seizure underscored the determination of criminal syndicates to use Nigerian ports for drug trafficking, but praised the vigilance of security operatives for foiling the attempt. “This is a deliberate attempt to undermine national security and destroy the lives of young Nigerians, but the consignment will never reach the streets,” he said.
He added that the command would intensify surveillance, strengthen intelligence-sharing and work with partner agencies to ensure those behind the shipment are arrested and prosecuted. Receiving the exhibits, NDLEA Director of Seaport Operations, Ibinabo ArchieAbia, said the container left Toronto, Canada, on March 28 and arrived in Lagos on May 9 after passing through Montreal and Morocco.
She said the seizure followed more than two months of surveillance by the NDLEA Marine Intelligence Unit and Tin Can Strategic Command in collaboration with international partners, including the UK Home Office, the United States Drug Enforcement Administration and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.
ArchieAbia described the operation as a major success for inter-agency and international cooperation against transnational drug trafficking.