The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has recovered seven luxury vehicles allegedly stolen from Canada and illegally shipped into Nigeria through the Tin Can Island Port in Lagos.
Customs authorities disclosed that investigations confirmed the vehicles were stolen in Canada before being smuggled into Nigeria through international shipping channels linked to organised vehicle theft syndicates.
The recovered vehicles, according to official Customs documents dated May 5, 2026, include a 2019 Lexus RX350, a 2019 Mercedes-Benz G550, a 2023 Land Rover Range Rover, a 2019 Lamborghini Huracán, a 2021 Rolls-Royce Dawn Convertible, a 2018 Lamborghini Aventador, and a 2026 Toyota Tundra.
The Service explained that the successful recovery followed intelligence sharing and close operational collaboration between the Nigeria Customs Service and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.
Officials said the partnership formed part of ongoing international efforts aimed at combating transnational organised crime, vehicle trafficking, and cross-border smuggling operations.
Speaking during the official handover ceremony of the vehicles to Canada’s Deputy High Commissioner to Nigeria, Nasser Salihou, the Customs Area Controller of Tin Can Island Command, Comptroller Frank Onyeka, revealed that the operation commenced after Canadian authorities traced several stolen vehicles suspected to have been shipped into Nigeria.
He also disclosed that one of the vehicles, a Toyota Tacoma, had been secretly concealed inside a container carrying other automobiles.
According to him, Customs officers intercepted the vehicle before it could leave Customs custody.
“What initially appeared to be a normal cargo movement quickly developed into an international criminal investigation.
”Once intelligence reports reached us, we immediately placed the consignment under enforcement watch and secured the vehicle while awaiting confirmation from Canadian authorities,” Onyeka stated.
The Customs controller explained that officers acted swiftly after receiving intelligence alerts and shipping documents from Canada.
The suspicious consignment was immediately isolated and placed under strict enforcement control to prevent any possible release or interference.
Onyeka noted that the Service deliberately refused to release the recovered vehicles until Canadian officials personally arrived in Nigeria to complete the verification and recovery procedures.
“We had individuals attempting to intervene on behalf of others, but the matter was highly sensitive.
”We insisted that the handover process must be conducted directly with the Canadian government in order to maintain the credibility and integrity of the operation,” he added.
According to him, the operation demonstrates the Nigeria Customs Service’s determination to dismantle international vehicle theft networks that exploit global shipping routes to move stolen luxury automobiles across borders.
He also described the recovery as strong evidence of growing cooperation between Nigerian and Canadian authorities in the areas of intelligence exchange, cargo profiling, maritime enforcement, and the fight against organised international crime and illicit trade.
The handover ceremony further highlighted the increasing collaboration between both countries in strengthening border security measures and improving international enforcement partnerships targeted at curbing sophisticated smuggling operations.
