Apapa Customs Intercepts, N43.5Billion Worth Narcotics, Controlled Pharmaceuticals, 108 Units of High Definition Drones
Apapa Customs Intercepts, N43.5Billion Worth Narcotics, Controlled Pharmaceuticals, 108 Units of High Definition Drones
By Jerry Aguigbo
The Nigeria Customs Service, Apapa Area Command has showcased 13 containers of seized Narcotic, Controlled Pharmaceuticals, 108 Units of High definition drones and other restricted items,
intercepted recently at Apapa Port today.
The Comptroller General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi while performing the ritual of showcasing some of the items to Sister Agencies and relevant authorities, said
their contents fall into 3 categories, each carrying a consequence well
beyond the port: narcotics and controlled pharmaceuticals, security-sensitive
equipment, and expired goods intended for human use.
According to the CGC, the Nigeria Customs Service Act, 2023 charges the service with more than the collection of revenue. It places on the service the security of the supply chain, the protection of the border and the safety of what enters this Country.
The total duty paid value of the seizures is Forty-Three Billion, Five Hundred and
Eighty-Eight Million, Six Hundred and Eighteen Thousand, Eight Hundred and Fifty
Nine Naira (₦43,588,618,859.00).
The items under scrutiny are as follows:
HAMU 3086682. 1 x 40ft. 4,777 parcels of cannabis sativa weighing
2,388.5kg, packed in 2 cartons, 48 jumbo bags and 40 drums; assorted
automobile spare parts; one carton of coffee mix; 8 cartons of oats; and three
vehicles.
FANU 1933352. 1 x 40ft. 8,287 parcels of cannabis sativa weighing
4,145kg, packed in 162 bags; and three vehicles.
MSKU 3941778. 1 x 20ft. 2,181 parcels of cannabis sativa weighing
1,090.5kg, packed in 5 cartons; 148 bags of foreign parboiled rice; assorted
automobile spare parts; 2 boxes of lithium batteries; 1 carton of PV combiner
box; 19 cartons of turmeric; 33 cartons of mangala fish; and 11 cartons of
butterfly fish.
TCKU 7653306. 1 x 40ft. 1,700 cartons containing 169,998 bottles of
codeine syrup, concealed under household items.
MSKU 9282528. 2 cartons containing 108 units of high-definition dual
camera drones, extracted from the container.
MRKU 6185100. 1 x 40ft. 425 bales of used clothing.
MRKU 5535966. 1 x 40ft. 435 bales of used clothing.
SEKU 4685299. 1 x 40ft. 422 bales of used clothing.
SUDU 7593139. 1 x 20ft. Fully loaded with expired tomato ketchup. PCIU 2834954. 1 x 20ft. Fully loaded with expired antiseptic liquid. ZCSU 8749546. 1 x 40ft. Fully loaded with expired vaginal tablets.
PONU 7890827. 1 x 40ft. Fully loaded with expired disposable
nappies and
MSKU 1524590. 1 x 40ft. Fully loaded with expired disposable
nappies.
The 3 narcotics containers together held 15,245 parcels of cannabis sativa
weighing 7,624kg, rather more than 7½ tonnes. The used clothing amounted to 1,282
bales.
Adeniyi said
the abuse of prohibited substances like codeine among young Nigerians has
been the subject of national concern for years, and its connection to violent conduct,
to family breakdown and to the loss of productive lives is well documented.
“A single
container of this size would have supplied that trade for a considerable period.
The cannabis interceptions are the product of inter-agency work with the
National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, supported by credible intelligence from
international security partners. That intelligence was analysed and acted upon here,
through cargo profiling, documentary scrutiny and targeted examination by officers of
this Service. I thank the NDLEA and our international partners for their cooperation.
We also extracted 108 units of high-definition dual-camera drones from an
intercepted container. Drones have lawful uses, and this 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, and our security agencies have already
met it in that role in the field. Let me be plain with importers. Restricted and security
sensitive equipment requires the appropriate security approvals, end-user certificates
and documentation before clearance. Consignments of that character that arrive
without them will be detained. Our ports will not be a route through which capability
reaches those who are working against the security of this country,” he stated.
Five containers out of the 13 were loaded with expired tomato ketchup, antiseptic liquid,
vaginal tablets and disposable nappies.
” These are products applied to the body and
consumed by households. Their importation after expiry places children, women and
other consumers at risk of harm they have no means of detecting at the point of
purchase.”
The seized items, Adeniyi said, will be handed over to the relevant narcotics agencies for
further action and closure, at the same time, the public is encouraged to go on with
their legitimate activities and be rest assured that Customs will continue to ensure
continued and quick movement of legitimate trade. Scrutiny will fall on the
consignments, transactions and operators that present identifiable risk.
“To those
engaged in false declaration, concealment, undervaluation or the importation of
prohibited goods, the position is straightforward: no port, border station or logistics
channel will be permitted to serve as a safe haven.
Compliance is available, and it is cheaper than the alternative. Importers
uncertain of the treatment of a product should use the Advance Ruling mechanism to
obtain the Service’s position on classification, valuation and origin before shipment,
not after arrival. Operators with a sustained record of compliance should join the
Authorised Economic Operator programme, which offers more predictable clearance
and fewer interventions where the risk assessment justifies it. Compliance is not an
obstacle to business; it is an advantage over competitors who lack it.”
He however commended the officers and men of the Apapa Area Command for the
vigilance and professionalism that produced these results,
the NDLEA,
NAFDAC and other international partners for their cooperation.
In his words: “Our ports must serve
lawful commerce, industrial growth and the prosperity of this country. They must not
serve as transit points for narcotics, for controlled drugs, for equipment that threatens
our security, or for goods that endanger the health of Nigerians. The Service will
continue to hold that line, and we ask the public and the trading community to hold it
with us.”
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