The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has formally taken custody of 6,778.5 kilograms of Canadian Loud, a high-grade strain of cannabis, intercepted at the Apapa Port in Lagos in what authorities described as one of Nigeria’s biggest anti-narcotics operations.
The seizure followed intelligence-led joint operations involving the NDLEA, the Nigeria Customs Service, other security agencies, and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP).
Representing NDLEA chairman and chief executive, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), at the handover ceremony Wednesday, the Agency’s Director of Seaport Operations (ACGN), Ibinabo Archie-Abia, said the operation underscored the effectiveness of inter-agency collaboration in tackling transnational organised crime.
Marwa said the two major seizures recorded on June 15 and June 24 sent a strong warning to international drug traffickers that Nigeria’s security agencies remain determined to dismantle criminal networks operating across borders.
He added that the consignments were tracked over several months through multiple international shipping routes before being intercepted at Apapa Port, despite efforts by traffickers to conceal their movements through different ports and trans-shipment points.
The NDLEA boss added that the agency’s mission goes beyond seizing illicit drugs, stating that it would intensify efforts to identify, arrest and prosecute members of the syndicates while confiscating assets acquired through drug trafficking.