Nigeria: NDLEA Seizes N4.4bn 'Thai Loud' At Lagos Ports, Uncovers New Trafficking Route

What the report says

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency said it has intercepted nearly 1.5 tonnes of cannabis known as "Loud" at Lagos ports, in seizures that the agency says point to a new trafficking route into Nigeria. According to Premium Times, as distributed by AllAfrica, the drugs were found in two containers that came from Thailand via the Apapa and Lekki Deep Sea ports in Lagos.

The agency said one container was examined at Apapa in cooperation with the Nigeria Customs Service and other partners, after documents claimed it contained items such as dry fish, rice, spare parts, turmeric soap and batteries. The search instead uncovered 1,090.5kg of Thai Loud in 54 cartons. A second container, already under watch at Lekki, yielded another 400kg. NDLEA said the drugs were hidden among other goods, including reams of A4 paper.

The total recovered quantity was put at 1,490.5kg, with an estimated street value of more than N4.4 billion. The agency said these were its first seizures involving illicit drugs shipped from Thailand through Nigeria's maritime corridor, adding to concern that traffickers are using seaports and multiple international supply chains to move synthetic cannabis.

NDLEA chairman Buba Marwa praised the officers involved and called for continued pressure on trafficking networks operating through the country's ports. More broadly, the report fits a pattern of large maritime drug interceptions in Nigeria this year, underscoring the role of seaports in narcotics smuggling.