The Nigeria Customs Service has intercepted 13 containers carrying cannabis, codeine, drones, expired products and used clothing valued at N43.58 billion at Apapa Port.
The Nigeria Customs Service has intercepted 13 containers carrying cannabis, codeine syrup, expired consumer products, used clothing and security-sensitive equipment at the Apapa Port in Lagos. The Apapa Area Command placed the combined duty-paid value of the seized consignments at N43.58 billion.
Comptroller-General of Customs Adewale Adeniyi disclosed the seizures while presenting the containers to journalists at the command. He classified the intercepted items as narcotics and controlled pharmaceutical products, security-sensitive equipment and expired goods meant for human use. Adeniyi said three of the containers held 15,245 parcels of cannabis sativa with a combined weight of 7,624 kilograms.
One 40-foot container, registered as HAMU 3086682, contained 4,777 parcels of cannabis weighing 2,388.5kg. The drugs were packed in two cartons, 48 large bags and 40 drums. Customs officers also found automobile spare parts, a carton of coffee mix, eight cartons of oats and three vehicles in the container.
Another 40-foot container, with registration number FANU 1933352, was found with 8,287 parcels of cannabis weighing 4,145kg. The consignment was concealed in 162 bags alongside three vehicles. A 20-foot container bearing registration number MSKU 3941778 held 2,181 parcels of cannabis weighing 1,090.5kg.
Other goods found in that container included 148 bags of foreign parboiled rice, automobile spare parts, two boxes of lithium batteries and a carton containing a photovoltaic combiner box. Officers also recovered 19 cartons of turmeric, 33 cartons of mangala fish and 11 cartons of butterfly fish from the container.
Customs intercepted another 40-foot container, registered as TCKU 7653306, carrying 1,700 cartons containing 169,998 bottles of codeine syrup. The bottles were concealed beneath household items. Adeniyi said the misuse of prohibited substances such as codeine among young Nigerians had remained a national concern for several years.
He linked the abuse of such drugs to violent behaviour, the breakdown of families and the loss of productive lives, saying a consignment of that quantity could have supplied the illegal market for a considerable period. The Customs chief explained that the cannabis seizures resulted from cooperation between the service and the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, supported by intelligence supplied by international security partners.
The command also recovered 108 high-definition dual-camera drones from two cartons inside a container registered as MSKU 9282528. Adeniyi acknowledged that drones could be used for legitimate purposes but warned that such equipment could pose security risks when obtained by criminal groups.
“Drones have lawful uses, and the service has no quarrel with them. But equipment of this kind, in the wrong hands, becomes a means of surveillance, of reconnaissance and of delivery,” he said. He warned that Customs would continue to detain shipments of security-sensitive equipment brought into the country without the necessary documentation.
“Our ports will not be a route through which capability reaches those who are working against the security of this country,” Adeniyi said. Two other 40-foot containers were found with hundreds of bales of used clothing. Container MRKU 6185100 carried 425 bales, while SEKU 4685299 contained another 422 bales. According to Adeniyi, the used clothing recovered during the operation totalled 1,282 bales.
The command also intercepted five containers loaded with expired tomato ketchup, antiseptic liquid, vaginal tablets and disposable nappies. The expired goods, which were reportedly intended for human use, formed part of the three categories of seized products identified by Customs. Adeniyi said the intercepted narcotics would be transferred to the appropriate drug-control agencies for further investigation and the completion of necessary procedures.
The seizures covered a mixture of concealed drugs, regulated equipment, prohibited imports and expired products discovered in containers passing through the Apapa port.