Written by
Ishioma Appiah-Yeboah
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, says it has intercepted a massive shipment of Canadian Loud, a highly potent strain of cannabis, valued at more than ten point four billion naira at the Tincan Island Port in Lagos.
The agency in a statement by the Director, Media and Advicacy Femi Babafemi said the seized drugs weighed over four thousand, one hundred and seventy-three kilograms and were cleverly concealed inside a used Ford bus and a Mercedes-Benz C300 vehicle hidden in a shipping container.
According to the NDLEA, the operation followed more than two months of intelligence gathering and international surveillance involving security agencies in Nigeria, the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada.
The agency added that the container began its journey from Toronto, Canada, before moving through Montreal and Morocco and eventually arriving in Lagos on May ninth.
The drugs were intercepted during a joint inspection involving NDLEA operatives, the Nigeria Customs Service, and other security agencies at the port on Tuesday.
The latest seizure comes just four days after NDLEA officers uncovered another major stash of the same substance at a mansion in Lekki, Lagos, where more than two thousand, three hundred kilograms of cannabis worth over five point eight billion naira were recovered.
Speaking during the handover of the seized drugs, the NDLEA Director of Seaports Operations, Assistant Commander General Ibinabo Archie-Abia, described the interception as a major breakthrough against transnational drug trafficking.
He said the operation highlights the importance of intelligence sharing and collaboration among local and international security agencies.
Meanwhile, the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brigadier General Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), praised officers involved in the operation for their vigilance and professionalism.
Marwa warned that international drug syndicates are making coordinated attempts to flood the Nigerian market with synthetic cannabis products, but assured that NDLEA and its partners would continue to dismantle every link in the illegal drug supply chain.