The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Apapa Area Command, has announced the seizure of 1.81 tonnes of cannabis and expired pharmaceutical products with a combined Duty Paid Value (DPV) of N12.78 billion at the Apapa Port in Lagos.
The interception, carried out in collaboration with the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), was disclosed on Tuesday in a statement issued by the Command’s Public Relations Officer, Isah Sulaiman.
According to the statement, Customs officers acting on credible intelligence and deploying advanced risk assessment mechanisms intercepted a 40-foot container, identified as CAAU7569127, loaded with a large quantity of Cannabis Sativa, popularly known as “Canadian Loud.”
The agency said the operation led to the recovery of 3,639 sachets of the illicit substance, each weighing 500 grams, bringing the total weight to approximately 1,819 kilograms.
“Preliminary field tests conducted on the substance returned positive results for Cannabis Sativa,” the statement noted.
Customs disclosed that the narcotics were concealed inside a Toyota vehicle, a Toyota Sienna bus, as well as several bags and drums packed within the container.
The Command described the seizure as evidence of its growing capacity to detect and dismantle sophisticated smuggling operations attempting to exploit Nigeria’s maritime gateways.
In a separate operation, the Command also intercepted two 40-foot containers loaded with expired pharmaceutical products allegedly destined for the Nigerian market.
According to Customs, investigations revealed that the products, which had expiry dates ranging from 2021 to 2023, were imported with plans to relabel and distribute them to unsuspecting consumers.
One of the containers, marked PCIU8771576, was found to contain expired Cidoxilin Capsules, Cynamine Vitamin B12 Injection and Becoline B-Complex Injection.
The second container, identified as MRKU4961275, contained expired medical products including Oxytocin Injection, Mexclor Eye Drops, Avomex Tablets, Carbamazepine Tablets, Silymarin Tablets, Nystatin Tablets and Hyoscine Butylbromide Tablets.
Customs said the seizures prevented potentially dangerous and ineffective medicines from reaching hospitals, pharmacies and households across the country.
“The seized items have a combined Duty Paid Value (DPV) of ₦12,784,479,341.72. This substantial seizure highlights the scale of the attempted economic sabotage and underscores the unwavering commitment of the Nigeria Customs Service to protecting national security, public health and the Nigerian economy through intelligence-driven enforcement operations,” the statement added.
The Command attributed the success of the operations to intelligence gathering, strategic profiling, data analysis and collaboration with relevant security and regulatory agencies.
Reacting to the development, the Customs Area Controller of the Apapa Area Command, Comptroller Emmanuel Oshoba, warned individuals involved in smuggling, drug trafficking and the importation of expired pharmaceuticals to desist from such activities.
He described perpetrators of such crimes as enemies of national development and vowed that the Command would continue to deploy intelligence and technology to identify and apprehend offenders.
“Anyone still contemplating these criminal acts should immediately desist, because the consequences will be swift, decisive and uncompromising. Apapa Port will not be used as a conduit for economic sabotage and public health endangerment,” Oshoba said.
The Customs chief further stated that Apapa Port and all Customs-controlled areas remain under constant surveillance, assuring Nigerians that the Command would continue to intensify intelligence-led operations aimed at safeguarding public health, facilitating legitimate trade and strengthening national security.
