Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency have intercepted multiple consignments of Loud, a potent strain of cannabis, and codeine-based cough syrup worth more than N5 billion at three major Nigerian seaports.
The seizures were made at the Apapa and Tin Can Island ports in Lagos and the Onne Port in Rivers State after months of intelligence gathering and surveillance of the shipments from their countries of origin.
The NDLEA Director, Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, disclosed this in a statement issued on Sunday.
At the Apapa Port, officers working with Customs and other stakeholders searched two containers originating from Bangkok, Thailand, after subjecting them to 100 per cent examination.
The operation led to the discovery of 161 parcels of Thai Loud weighing 124kg and valued at N372 million. The drugs were concealed inside two refrigerators and two cartons.
At the Tin Can Island Port, NDLEA operatives and other agencies examined a watch-listed container shipped from Montreal, Canada, on Tuesday, September 29.
The search uncovered 2,595 parcels of Canadian Loud weighing 1,297.5kg and valued at more than N3.8 billion. The drugs were hidden in a Toyota Sienna and a Hyundai Elantra, alongside 24 blue drums and six jumbo bags.
The agency also reported another major seizure at the Onne Port, where two containers flagged through intelligence were jointly examined by NDLEA, Customs and other security agencies.
One of the containers contained 40 packs of Loud weighing 22kg, concealed in a travelling bag and three of five vehicles shipped in the container.
The second container contained 109,600 bottles of codeine-based cough syrup weighing 16,440kg. The shipment had travelled from India to Saudi Arabia, where its origin history was deleted in an attempt to prevent it from being targeted.
The NDLEA said the Loud and codeine consignments recovered at the Onne Port had a combined street value of N833.2 million.
The statement read, “At the Apapa port in Lagos, NDLEA officers, acting on intelligence, subjected two containers from Bangkok, Thailand, to 100 per cent examination with men of Customs and other stakeholders. A search of one of the containers on Saturday, 3rd September, yielded 161 parcels of Thai Loud weighing 124kg, worth N372,000,000, concealed in two refrigerators and two cartons.
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At the Tincan Island port in Lagos, NDLEA operatives on Tuesday, 29th September, conducted a joint examination of a watch-listed container from Montreal, Canada, with Customs and other stakeholders. As a result, a total of 2,595 parcels of Canadian Loud weighing 1,297.5kg were concealed in a Toyota Sienna and a Hyundai Elantra, with 24 blue drums and six jumbo bags in the container. The consignment was worth over N3.8 billion in street value.
“At the Onne port in Rivers State, two containers watch-listed by NDLEA based on processed intelligence were subjected to joint examination with Customs and other security agencies, during which 40 packs of Loud weighing 22kg were found hidden in a travelling bag and three of five vehicles (Toyota Matrix, Toyota Corolla and Hyundai Elantra) shipped in one of the containers, while the second container held 109,600 bottles of codeine-based cough syrup weighing 16,440kg. The container had left India for Saudi Arabia, where the history of its origin was deleted, to avoid being targeted. The codeine and Loud consignments have a combined street value of N833,200,000.”
In a separate operation, NDLEA operatives arrested a 28-year-old businessman, Philip Tunde, who was allegedly attempting to smuggle 4.80kg of cocaine to Milan, Italy.
Tunde was arrested on Sunday, September 27, 2026, at the joint screening point at Terminal 2 of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos, while preparing to board a Royal Air Maroc flight to Milan.
According to the agency, officers found 16 parcels of cocaine concealed in the soles of eight pairs of trainers and canvas shoes, while another 195 wraps were hidden inside the railings of four travelling bags. The substances tested positive for cocaine and weighed 4.80kg altogether.
During interrogation, Tunde reportedly said he paid N16 million in cash for the cocaine hidden in the shoes, while the drugs concealed in the bags were intended for delivery to his partner in Italy.
He said the money used to purchase the cocaine came from compensation he received after sustaining an injury while working at a plastic manufacturing company in Italy, where he lost the tips of two fingers.
The agency also disclosed other seizures and arrests recorded during its nationwide operations.
In Osun State, NDLEA operatives destroyed 20,234kg of skunk cultivated on 8.0936 hectares of cannabis farm in Area 4, Ife South Local Government Area.
In Lagos, officers on Monday, September 28, raided an unoccupied compound in Divine Estate, Ago Palace, where they recovered 209,000 tablets of tramadol.
A follow-up operation at Ladipo Spare Parts Market on Wednesday, September 30, also led to the arrest of 23-year-old Ekundayo Taiwo.
The arrest followed the seizure of 61 grams of Colorado, a synthetic strain of cannabis, and 24 grams of methamphetamine concealed inside an energy drink bottle and sent as a waybill package through a commercial bus driver along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway the previous day.
The Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the NDLEA, Brig-Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), commended the operatives for the successful operations and urged them to sustain efforts against drug trafficking networks.