Again, Customs intercepts cannabis worth N516m in Lagos

Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) says its Strike Force, Team A, has intercepted 5,124 kilograms of cannabis sativa along the coast of Lekki, in Lagos.

The bust comes barely two days after the Service’s Lagos airport command had announced intercepting

A consignment of 162 cartons of banned Tramadol hydrochloride 225 and 250mg, in addition to military and police hardware with duty paid value of N13.8 billion.

Customs Comptroller in charge of Team A, Sani Yusuf, who disclosed this, Wednesday in Lagos during a media briefing, also said the contraband, with an estimated duty paid value of N516 million, was intercepted following credible intelligence in January 2023.

He added that the contraband was being moved directly from the ship to trucks before his men intercepted them.

“The Cannabis was intercepted following a credible intelligence. We intercepted it somewhere around Lekki along the coast at midnight.

“On getting there, we saw several persons loading the contraband from the ship directly into the truck in spite of the sea waves.

“Immediately our officers got there, they discovered that they had already loaded the first truck, they were loading the second and third trucks when we got there, and there was pandemonium.

“Arriving at the scene, we saw some other agencies, we don’t know who they were. But after heated arguments, we were able to take the truck down to our office, and the people who were loading the consignment ran away,” he said.

Yusuf, explained that the officials were able to take one truck because it had already been loaded, parked outside and was waiting to be taken out before his men busted them.

“This particular truck was parked outside while they were loading the other two trucks, they never knew we were coming. So, they had loaded this truck and kept it outside.

“So, when we came, while they were arguing, we decided it was better to take the one we were seeing and also for the safety of our officers. So, one of the officers drove the truck,” he said.

He also said within the same period, the team also seized 705 bags of foreign parboiled rice of 50kg each with a duty-paid value of N42 million and also 11 bales of secondhand clothing with a DPV of N3 million.

Meanwhile, the controller said between January and December 2022, the team seized different contrabands with a duty value of N9 billion, adding also that the figure represented a 55 per cent increase when compared to N3.9 billion generated in 2021.

 “Among the items seized in 2022 included, 225mg of tramadol, 100mg of sildenafil citrate, codeine cough syrup, used tyres, bales of second-hand clothing, bags of foreign parboiled rice, containers of timber, pangolin scales, slabs of Donkey skin, cannabis sativa among others.

“The sum of N5.8 billion was generated as revenue through demand notices from January to December 2022,” he said.

It would be recalled that, last Tuesday, the NCS said its personnel stationed at the Cargo Section, Domestic Wing of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport Command (MMAC) intercepted hard drugs, military and police hardware.

Customs Area Controller of the Command, Comptroller Sambo Dangaladima, who disclosed this during a media conference, Tuesday, in Lagos, said the seized drugs consisted of 162 cartons of banned Tramadol hydrochloride 225 and 250mg, military and police hardware.

According to the customs chief, one suspect is in the custody of the command in connection with the seizure, adding further that the goods were intercepted at the Skyway Aviation Handling Company (SAHCO).

Dangaladima while disclosing that the drugs originated from India and Pakistan and were routed through Addis-Ababa to Lagos, said the consignment had an estimated Duty Paid Value (DPV) of N13.8 billion.

He disclosed further that the drugs included 92,387 packs, 929,970 sachets and 9,299,700 tablets.