The Nigeria Customs Service has recovered seven luxury vehicles allegedly stolen from Canada and smuggled into Nigeria through the Tin Can Island Port in Lagos.
According to Customs documents dated May 5, 2026, the recovered vehicles include 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.
Customs authorities disclosed that investigations confirmed the vehicles were stolen in Canada before being illegally shipped into Nigeria through international automobile smuggling networks.
The recovery followed intelligence sharing and operational collaboration between the Nigeria Customs Service and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police as part of ongoing efforts to combat transnational organised crime and vehicle trafficking.
Speaking during the official handover 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, said the operation began after Canadian authorities traced several stolen vehicles suspected to have been exported to Nigeria.
Onyeka revealed that one of the recovered vehicles, a Toyota Tacoma, had been hidden inside a container carrying other automobiles and was intercepted before it could leave Customs custody.
He explained that what initially appeared to be a routine cargo shipment quickly developed into an international criminal investigation after intelligence reports from Canada linked the consignment to stolen vehicles.
According to him, Customs officers immediately placed the shipment under enforcement watch and secured the vehicles pending verification by Canadian authorities.
Onyeka stated that the Service declined requests from individuals who attempted to intervene on behalf of unnamed parties, insisting that the vehicles would only be released directly to officials of the Canadian government to ensure transparency and preserve the integrity of the investigation.
He added that the operation demonstrates the agency’s determination to dismantle international vehicle theft syndicates using global shipping channels to transport stolen automobiles across borders.
The Customs controller further described the recovery as a reflection of growing cooperation between Nigeria and Canada in intelligence sharing, cargo profiling, and maritime enforcement targeted at tackling organised cross-border crimes and illicit trade.
NCS Recovers Seven Luxury Vehicles Stolen From Canada at Lagos Port
