NDLEA partners US-DEA, UK-NCA over illicit drug seizure

The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has uncovered 1,000 kilogrammes of cocaine valued at N29.4 billion in a 20-foot export container imported at the Port and Terminal Multiservices Limited (PTML) in Lagos.

The illicit drugs were displayed to journalists yesterday after officers of the NCS and the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) conducted rapid field tests on the parcels, which tested positive for cocaine.

The Customs Area Controller of the PTML Command, Joe Anani, described the interception as the largest and first-ever hard drug seizure in the command’s history.

According to him, the PTML terminal operator first detected the suspicious packages in a 20-foot container with number GCNU1332851 on October 7, 2025, while disinfecting 39 empty containers imported solely for export use.

He said that after the terminal operator informed the NCS, a joint examination involving the Customs, NDLEA, Department of State Services (DSS), Police Anti-Bomb Squad, and other security agencies confirmed the presence of 50 packages, each containing 20 parcels of cocaine.

Preliminary investigations, he said, revealed that the container was loaded as empty at its last port of call in Freetown, Sierra Leone, with no consignee attached since it was not an import consignment.

Anani noted that no arrest had been made, as the container arrived in Nigeria without any import documentation, being strictly meant for export use.

He commended the PTML terminal management for their vigilance and cooperation, stressing that such synergy was vital to securing the nation’s ports and protecting export integrity.

Anani reiterated the command’s commitment to making PTML “a no-go area for prohibited items”, adding that the seized cocaine would be formally handed over to the NDLEA for further investigation.

“This marks the first illicit drug seizure in PTML’s history and is one of the most mysterious cocaine interceptions in the service’s record. Further inquiries are expected to trace how the illicit substance entered the container and the network behind its movement through the Freetown port,” he said.

Receiving the consignment, the Strategic Commander of the NDLEA, Tin Can Port Command, Daniel Onyishi, described the seizure as “mysterious”, noting that such an incident was unprecedented in their experience at the ports.

“We have not had such a thing. But the investigation has already commenced, and we are working on that,” he said. He assured that the agency would uncover the source of the shipment and how it entered Nigeria, warning that the terminal would henceforth be a no-go area for smugglers attempting to use it as a transit point for illicit drugs.

Onyishi did not give a timeline for the investigation but noted that such cases take considerable time, involving long tracing of the source of the drugs and identifying those behind the smuggling network.

“Investigations are ongoing, and as soon as they are completed, the outcome will be made public,” he added.

Meanwhile, the NDLEA is working with the United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the United Kingdom National Crime Agency (NCA) to unravel the cartel behind the importation.

The consignment was formally transferred to NDLEA custody for further investigation yesterday, following collaborative engagements between the Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (rtd), and the Comptroller-General of Customs, Dr. Adewale Adeniyi. Marwa directed that the agency’s leading international partners be involved in the investigation.

“In a swift response to the agency’s request, officers of the US DEA and UK NCA have already joined the ongoing investigation of the largest single seizure of cocaine at Tin Can Port, Lagos. 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.

“This followed excellent personal engagement between myself and the Customs CG on this case,” Marwa stated in his reaction to the seizure and ongoing investigation.
Photos: Seized illicit drugs and Customs and NDLEA Testing. Caption: Seized illicits and narcotic officers testing the drugs