Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has handed over a massive consignment of Cannabis Sativa with an estimated street value of N18.96 billion to the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), following a major interception at the Tin Can Island Port Command. The illicit drugs, weighing 4,729 kilogrammes, were concealed inside two used vehicles imported from Canada – a 2010 Toyota Camry and a 2023 Chevrolet – in what officials described as a deliberate attempt to bypass port security.
Addressing journalists at the port on Thursday, 30 April 2026, the Customs Area Controller of the command, Frank Onyeka, disclosed that the container, marked HAMU 429961, originated from Canada and was falsely declared as containing only used vehicles. Acting on credible intelligence, he said, officers subjected the consignment to a 100 per cent physical examination and discovered 185 jumbo bags of cannabis hidden within the two vehicles. Further inspection revealed a total of 9,450 individual packages.
“This significant seizure demonstrates the strength of our intelligence-driven operations and the synergy between the Nigeria Customs Service and sister agencies, particularly the NDLEA,” Onyeka told reporters. He stressed that the operation was not random but followed detailed intelligence processing and close collaboration with the anti‑narcotics agency.
The seizure comes just days after the NCS and the NDLEA signed a formal strategic agreement on 27 April 2026 in Abuja, aimed at deepening intelligence sharing, coordinated operations and joint responses to drug trafficking and transnational crime. As part of the agreement, a standing inter‑agency committee has been established, with its headquarters at the NDLEA’s Abuja office, to ensure seamless cooperation.
Onyeka formally handed over the seized drugs to the NDLEA for further investigation and prosecution, reaffirming the service’s commitment to protecting national security and public health. He also issued a blunt warning to smugglers. “Let me send a clear message to all smugglers and criminal elements: the Nigeria Customs Service, in collaboration with its partners, is fully prepared to detect, intercept and prosecute all forms of illicit trade. There will be no safe haven for saboteurs.”
Receiving the consignment, Commander of Narcotics at the NDLEA Tin Can Strategic Command, Omotoso Solomon, said the operation was intelligence‑driven from start to finish. “It was not a chance interception. Information was carefully sourced, processed and then shared with Customs for joint enforcement action,” Solomon explained. He described the seizure as a clear signal that the port is now a “no‑go area” for drug traffickers. “In the interest of national security and your own future, stay away from Tin Can Island Port. Our operations here are firm, coordinated and uncompromising.”
With the 2027 general elections approaching, the seizure underscores a renewed focus by security agencies on choking maritime drug routes. The Tin Can Island Port has become a critical frontline in Nigeria’s fight against narcotics smuggling, where intensified cargo profiling and inter‑agency collaboration are increasingly shaping outcomes in the battle against illicit trade.
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