The Tin Can Island Command, Lagos of the Nigeria Customs Service has given graphic details of how it tracked and eventually intercepted eight exotic cars stolen in Canada and illegally shipped to the country.

The cars, which have already been handed over to the Canadian Deputy High Commissioner to Nigeria, Nasser Salihou, include a 2021 model of Rolls-Royce Dawn Convertible, 2019 Lamborghini Huracán, a 2026 Toyota Tundra, 2019 Mercedes-Benz G550, 2023 Land Rover Range Rover, 2018 Lamborghini Aventador, a 2019 model of Lexus RX350 and a Toyota Tacoma.

Customs Area Controller of the Command, Comptroller Frank Onyeka, while speaking on the incident recently in Lagos, disclosed that the recovery of the stolen cars followed months of intelligence sharing and operational collaboration between the Service and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, which was sequel to the Canadian authorities’ discovery that a number of stolen high-end automobiles are believed to have been smuggled into Nigeria through international shipping channels.

He noted that one of the cars, a Toyota Tacoma, was initially concealed inside a container laden with other vehicles, which had not yet exited Customs control before intelligence from Canadian authorities triggered immediate intervention.

“Once the alert was received and shipping documentation transmitted through official channels, officers of the Command moved swiftly to isolate the suspicious consignment, extracted the affected car, and place it under enforcement custody pending diplomatic verification.

“What looked like a routine cargo movement quickly became an international criminal investigation. As soon as we got the intelligence, we placed the consignment under enforcement watch and secure the car pending confirmation from Canadian authorities.

“Additionally, Command working with the headquarters deliberately delayed the final release until officials of the Canadian government arrived in person to complete identification and recovery procedures.

“We had people who wanted to step in on behalf of others, but this was too sensitive. We insisted the handover must be directly to the Canadian government to preserve the integrity of the process”, the Comptroller said.

He further disclosed that the operation reignited the Service’s commitment to fighting against transnational vehicle theft syndicates that exploit global shipping routes to move stolen automobiles across continents.

It was learnt that the recovery revealed an ongoing cooperation between Nigeria and Canada in intelligence sharing, cargo profiling, and maritime enforcement, particularly in tackling organised cross-border crimes involving stolen assets, illicit trade, and other fraudulent activities.

The CAC further noted that the handover of the recovered automobiles are in line with ongoing efforts to strengthen international confidence in the country’s anti-smuggling and cargo intelligence system.