The Nigeria Customs Service, Tin Can Island Port Command, has handed over a major drug seizure to the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency,NDLEA following the interception of a container loaded with illicit drugs at the Lagos port.

Speaking during the handover ceremony, the Customs Area Controller of the Tin Can Island Port Command, Frank Onyeka, disclosed that the 40-foot container originated from Canada and was intercepted through a joint intelligence operation involving the Nigeria Customs Service and the NDLEA.

According to him, a detailed examination of the container uncovered 8,347 packages of cannabis indica weighing over 4,173 kilograms, with an estimated street value of N16.6 billion.

Onyeka described the seizure as a calculated attempt by criminal networks to flood the country with dangerous drugs capable of endangering the lives of Nigerian youths.

He assured Nigerians that security agencies remain vigilant and committed to strengthening surveillance, intelligence gathering and inter-agency collaboration to prevent illicit substances from entering the country through the nation’s ports.

The Customs Area Controller also warned that individuals found collaborating with drug traffickers would be identified, arrested and prosecuted in accordance with the law.

Meanwhile, the NDLEA formally took over the seized drugs for further investigation and prosecution.

Speaking during the ceremony, the Director of Seaport Operations, Archie-Abia Ibinabo Ogboba described the interception as a significant breakthrough in the fight against transnational drug trafficking.

She explained that the operation followed months of intelligence gathering and international collaboration involving the NDLEA Maritime Intelligence Unit, Homeland Security Investigations, the United States Drug Enforcement Administration, the British Government and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.

Ogboba further revealed that the container departed from Toronto in March 2026 and moved through several international transit points before arriving in Nigeria in what investigators believe was an attempt to evade security scrutiny.

She commended the Nigeria Customs Service, the Nigerian Ports Authority and other security agencies for their cooperation and professionalism in safeguarding the country’s maritime corridors against criminal activities.