Nigeria’s elite anti-narcotics agency has launched a high-stakes international investigation after a massive haul of cocaine—1,000 kilograms worth over ₦338 billion—was seized last weekend at Lagos’s Tincan Island Port.
According to a statement from the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), the shipment was discovered in an empty container at the PTML Terminal of the port. Port operators alerted Nigerian Customs and the NDLEA, which conducted field tests and formally assumed custody of the drug-laden consignment on Tuesday.
Because of the sheer scale of the seizure—one of the largest ever recorded in Nigeria—the NDLEA will now collaborate closely with its international counterparts: the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) in the United States and the National Crime Agency (NCA) in the United Kingdom. These agencies have joined operatives in Lagos to help trace the cartel network behind the shipment.
Brig-Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa, Chairman of the NDLEA, underscored the global dimension of the case: “No stone must be left unturned so that ultimately we can get all the masterminds of this huge consignment brought to book, wherever they are located across the globe.”
Customs and port security sources say the containers entered via standard shipping routes but were routed through multiple trans-shipment hubs, raising concerns about how deeply embedded the smuggling network may be. The NDLEA said the cargo’s value—over $235 million (roughly ₦338 billion)—makes it the largest single cocaine seizure recorded at Tincan Port.
Nigeria has become a growing transit and production hub for narcotics in West Africa, with traffickers exploiting porous borders and high-volume ports. The NDLEA’s engagement with U.S. and U.K. agencies signals a shift toward tackling major cartel operations rather than just street-level interdictions.
Investigators now face the complex task of identifying the origin of the container, mapping the route it took, and tracing financial flows tied to the cartel. The involvement of the DEA and NCA suggests the network may span Europe and the Americas.
Meanwhile, Nigerian authorities say they will intensify examination of port and customs procedures, container-check systems and the roles of shipping intermediaries. They have also called for enhanced intelligence sharing with foreign partners to prevent similar syndicate-scale shipments from reaching Nigerian soil again.
As the probe expands, authorities hope that this seizure will serve as a major deterrent and expose the channels through which enormous volumes of Class-A narcotics move through Africa’s maritime arteries.
