Nigeria Seizes Over One Ton of Cocaine at Lagos Port in Largest Single Drug Bust

Nigeria’s National Drug Law Enforcement Agency has seized approximately 1,000 kilograms of cocaine at Lagos’ Tincan Island Port, marking the largest single cocaine seizure in the port’s history and triggering an international investigation involving U.S. and British law enforcement agencies.

The massive drug haul, discovered last weekend in an empty container at the PTML Terminal, carries an estimated street value exceeding $235 million in international markets.Port operators first noticed the suspicious consignment and immediately alerted NDLEA, Customs, and other security agencies for a joint examination.

Following field testing that confirmed the shipment was cocaine, the NDLEA formally took custody of the drugs on Tuesday.

Given the enormous quantity of the Class A drug and the apparent global reach of the trafficking operation, Marwa moved swiftly to bring in international partners. Officers from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and the United Kingdom’s National Crime Agency have already joined the ongoing investigation.

“The essence of collaborating with our international partners on this case is to ensure no stone is left unturned and every gap is sufficiently covered so that ultimately we can get all the masterminds of this huge consignment brought to book wherever they are located across the globe,” Marwa stated in response to the seizure. He added that the collaboration “followed personal excellent engagement between myself and the Customs CG on this case.”

The seizure represents a significant victory for Nigerian authorities in their ongoing battle against international drug trafficking networks that increasingly target West African ports as transit points for narcotics bound for European and American markets.

The investigation remains ongoing as authorities work to identify and apprehend the individuals responsible for attempting to smuggle the massive cocaine shipment through one of West Africa’s busiest ports.

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