The authorities in Nigeria have intercepted more than four tonnes of “Canadian Loud,” concealed in vehicles imported from Canada, in an operation conducted with the support of international partners.
The Nigerian National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) announced the interception at the port of Tincan Island of a shipment of “Canadian Loud,” a high-potency synthetic cannabis strain.
It weighs a total of 4,173.5 kilograms and estimated to be worth approximately 10.4 billion naira ($7.6 million).
According to a statement released Wednesday by agency spokesperson Femi Babafemi, the shipment originated in Canada and was concealed inside a used Ford bus and a Mercedes-Benz C300 car, which were placed inside a shipping container.
The NDLEA stated that the operation was the result of several weeks of intelligence gathering and surveillance conducted jointly by its Maritime Intelligence Unit and the strategic command at the port of Tincan, with support from international partners, including the Home Office International Operations, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.
The container had left Toronto on March 28 before being transported by rail to Montreal and then loaded onto the vessel Jakarta Express.
After a stopover at the port of Tangier Med, Morocco, on April 15, the cargo was transferred to a second vessel, the Osaka, which arrived in Lagos on May 9, 2026.
The seizure was carried out on Tuesday during a joint inspection involving NDLEA agents, Nigerian Customs, and other security agencies.
During the handover of the evidence by customs officials at the port of Lagos, the NDLEA’s Director of Port Operations, Ibinabo Archie Abia, praised “the effectiveness of inter-agency cooperation,
international collaboration, and intelligence-led operations in the fight against transnational organised crime and illicit drug trafficking.”
Reacting to this latest interception, the NDLEA’s President and CEO, Mohamed Buba Marwa, commended the officers involved in the operation and stated that the increasing number of “Loud” seizures reflected a coordinated attempt by international drug trafficking networks to flood the Nigerian market with synthetic cannabis.
“This second massive seizure in less than a week sends a clear message to international drug syndicates who believe they can use our ports as entry points for their destructive trade,” said Mr. Marwa, assuring that the NDLEA would continue its cooperation with the Nigerian authorities and its international partners until the networks involved are completely dismantled.
This operation comes four days after another major seizure in a villa in the Lekki district of Lagos, where anti-drug agents discovered 2,326 kilograms of the same substance, valued at approximately $4.2 million.
AC/fss/as/APA