NCS, NDLEA Frustrate Drug Smugglers; Intercepts 4,173.5 kG of Cannabis Indica

By Stella Okocha 

The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) in a joint effort with the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have yet again squashed the efforts of drug trafficking syndicates by intercepting 4,173.5 kilogrammes of Cannabis Indica at Tin Can Island Port Command, Lagos.

Compt Frank Onyeka, addressing the Press at the Enforcement Unit of the Command

Addressing journalists, NDLEA officials and Senior officers of the Command during the inspection and handover of the seized Illicit drugs at the port on the 13th of May 2026, the Customs Area Controller of the Command, Comptroller Frank Onyeka, said the interception was achieved through intelligence sharing and coordinated surveillance carried out by Customs officers and NDLEA operatives.

Compt.Onyeka said the container marked HAMU 247034/8 was flagged by the Enforcement Unit after intelligence reports linked it to suspicious activities.

He emphasized that the seized consignments, with an estimated Street value of N16,694,000,000 (Sixteen Billion, Six Hundred and Ninety-Four Million Naira), has further exposed attempts by international criminal networks to use Nigerian seaports as entry points for illicit drugs despite increased surveillance by security agencies.

He disclosed that the banned substances were hidden inside a used Ford bus and a Mercedes-Benz C300 vehicle shipped in a 40-foot container from Canada; but upon Investigations, it revealed that the traffickers carefully concealed the drugs in an apparent attempt to evade detection during routine port checks.

“Just two weeks ago, we recorded a similar seizure involving 4,729 kilogrammes of cannabis. The recurrence indicates that criminal elements remain determined to compromise the nation’s ports and flood the country with dangerous substances,” he said.

Giving further analysis, he stated that Officers subjected the container to detailed physical examination, leading to the discovery of 8,347 packages of Cannabis Indica concealed within the imported vehicles.

The TCIP boss described the seizure as another indication that drug trafficking syndicates were becoming more desperate and sophisticated in their methods. He stressed that the Command would continue to strengthen cargo profiling, surveillance and intelligence-driven enforcement to frustrate the activities of traffickers operating through the maritime corridor.

He added that the Service was deploying advanced risk assessment strategies and closer inter-agency collaboration to detect suspicious shipments before they enter the domestic market.

He further noted that beyond the economic implications, the illicit trade posed a serious threat to national security and the wellbeing of Nigerian youth, warning that substance abuse continued to fuel crime and social instability across the country.

Compt Onyeka also warned that anyone found collaborating with criminal syndicates, including insiders within the port environment, would face the full weight of the law.

The CAC appreciated the Comptroller-General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, for supporting stronger inter-agency cooperation, as well as the leadership of the NDLEA under Buba Marwa for sustaining intelligence partnerships in the anti-drug campaign.

On site to receive the seized exhibits, NDLEA Director of Seaport Operations, Ibinabo ArchieAbia, disclosed that the container had been under close monitoring for months before its arrival in Lagos.

She explained that the shipment originated from Toronto, Canada, before moving through Montreal and later passing through Tanger Med Port in Morocco en route to Nigeria.

According to her, “the operation was coordinated by the NDLEA Marine Intelligence Unit and the Tin Can Strategic Command with support from international law enforcement agencies, including the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and the United Kingdom Home Office International Operations.”

ArchieAbia said the successful interception underscored the importance of intelligence sharing and global cooperation in disrupting international drug trafficking operations.

She added that security agencies were expanding collaboration with foreign partners to track the movement of illicit consignments across international shipping routes.

She further disclosed that the seized consignment would undergo forensic examination and further investigation as authorities move to identify and prosecute all those connected to the shipment.

ArchieAbia efforts were already underway to uncover the financiers, freight handlers and local collaborators linked to the illegal importation.

The consistency in the interception of these Illicit drugs, in recent times at Nigerian ports in have highlighted intensified the enforcement efforts by the NCS anti-narcotic agencies to curb the inflow of illicit su bstances into the country.