Customs Hands Over Stolen Luxury Vehicles to Canada, Strengthens Anti-Smuggling Reputation
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has handed over several stolen luxury vehicles recovered at the Tin Can Island Port to the Canadian government, in what officials described as a major breakthrough in international anti-smuggling collaboration and cargo intelligence enforcement.
The vehicles were formally transferred on Monday, May 4, 2026, during a handover ceremony at the Tin Can Island Customs Area Command in Lagos. The Deputy High Commissioner of Canada to Nigeria, Nasser Salihou, received the recovered vehicles on behalf of the Canadian government, while the Customs Area Controller, Comptroller Frank Onyeka, represented the NCS.
The recovery followed months of intelligence sharing and coordinated investigations between the Nigeria Customs Service and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), after Canadian authorities traced a number of stolen exotic vehicles allegedly smuggled into Nigeria through international shipping networks.
Documents obtained by Customs on May 5, 2026, revealed that the intercepted automobiles included a 2019 Lexus RX350, 2019 Mercedes-Benz G550, 2023 Land Rover Range Rover, 2019 Lamborghini Huracán, 2021 Rolls-Royce Dawn Convertible, 2018 Lamborghini Aventador, and a 2026 Toyota Tundra, all confirmed to have been stolen in Canada before being illegally exported.
Speaking during the handover ceremony, Comptroller Onyeka disclosed that one of the vehicles, a Toyota Tacoma, had been cleverly concealed inside a container transporting other vehicles and was still under Customs control when intelligence from Canadian authorities prompted immediate action.
According to him, upon receiving official shipping documents and intelligence reports, officers of the Command swiftly identified the suspicious consignment, isolated the affected vehicle, and placed it under enforcement custody pending diplomatic verification.
“What initially appeared to be a routine cargo movement suddenly developed into an international criminal investigation. Once intelligence was received, we immediately placed the consignment under enforcement watch and secured the vehicle for further verification,” Onyeka stated.
He added that the Command resisted pressure from individuals attempting to intervene in the process, insisting that the recovered vehicles could only be released directly to officials of the Canadian government.
“We had several attempts by people seeking to interfere on behalf of others, but given the sensitivity of the matter, we insisted that the handover must be conducted strictly government-to-government to protect the credibility and integrity of the process,” he said.
The Customs Area Controller noted that the successful operation further demonstrated the Nigeria Customs Service’s growing capacity to combat transnational vehicle theft syndicates that exploit global shipping routes to traffic stolen automobiles across continents.
He also emphasised that the recovery reflected the increasing level of cooperation between Nigeria and Canada in the areas of intelligence sharing, cargo profiling, maritime security, and enforcement against organised cross-border crimes involving stolen assets and illicit trade.
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