The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency has announced the seizure of a large shipment of Canadian loud, a variety of cannabis, estimated to have a street value of N12,397,500,000.
In a statement issued on Sunday, Femi Babafemi, the agency’s director of media and advocacy, said NDLEA operatives had placed the container under surveillance for more than four weeks before intercepting it.
Babafemi disclosed that the shipment was stopped on June 23, 2026.
“A total of 4,959 kilograms of the illicit drug was recovered from the container during a joint examination of the shipment by officers of the Apapa strategic command of the agency, men of the Nigeria Customs Service, other security agencies, and ports stakeholders at the Apapa ports complex in Lagos,” the statement said.
According to him, the 40-foot container also carried Ford and Nissan vehicles and had been tracked across several international transit points before arriving in Nigeria.
“The large illicit drug consignment which was loaded into a 40ft container comprising a Ford and a Nissan vehicle came under NDLEA tracking and monitoring system since 25th April 2026 when it arrived Toronto, Canada via truck, Montreal via rail on 29th April, Tanger Med Morocco on 11th May, loaded on another vessel on 23rd May before arriving Tincan port Lagos on 4th June and discharged there 5th June before the container eventually left Tincan and arrived Apapa port on Monday 22nd June.”
In a separate operation, the agency said its officers in the Federal Capital Territory, working alongside colleagues in Anambra, uncovered a network that allegedly hides drugs inside the luggage of unsuspecting travellers using commercial transport services.
Babafemi said the operation began after officials intercepted a consignment of methamphetamine inside a Sienna bus travelling from Nnewi to Abuja at Abaji on June 20.
“During a search of the bus, a waybill package was recovered containing whitish substances suspected to be methamphetamine concealed inside a black nylon bag, which was also put into another sack of clothes with the phone number of the receiver written on it.
“A follow-up operation conducted on the same day led to the arrest of the supposed receiver of the waybill, Gloria Peter, at Utako Motor Park.
“Peter, however, vehemently denied knowledge and ownership of the package in her luggage.”
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The agency said investigations later led to the arrest of loaders attached to the transport service in Nnewi, where one of them admitted placing the package inside the passenger’s bag on the instruction of the bus driver, identified as Abdurrazak Isah.
Further interrogation reportedly led to another arrest.
“Onyebuchi was then picked up at Utako, FCT, during another follow up operation. The illicit consignment weighed 467.7grams,” the statement added.
Babafemi said the NDLEA would sustain its awareness campaign against drug abuse through its War Against Drug Abuse initiative in schools, workplaces, worship centres and communities across states including Yobe, Lagos, Kano, Kogi and Enugu.