The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Apapa Area Command, has intercepted expired pharmaceutical products valued at over ₦12.7 billion and seized about 1.8 tonnes of Cannabis Sativa in separate intelligence-led operations in Lagos.
According to the Command, the illegal consignments were prevented from entering the Nigerian market through coordinated efforts with sister security agencies, including the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) and other regulatory bodies.
In a statement issued by the Command’s Public Relations Officer, Chief Superintendent of Customs (CSC) Isah Sulaiman, the seizures were attributed to credible intelligence, enhanced risk profiling systems and inter-agency collaboration.
One of the major interceptions involved a 40-foot container, numbered CAAU7569127, which was found to contain a large quantity of Cannabis Sativa, popularly known as “Canadian Loud.” Customs officers recovered 3,639 sachets of the illicit substance, each weighing 500 grams, bringing the total weight to approximately 1,819 kilograms, or 1.81 tonnes.
Preliminary field tests confirmed the substance as Cannabis Sativa. The drugs were concealed inside a Toyota vehicle, a Toyota Sienna, as well as in bags and drums packed within the container.
In a separate operation, Customs officers intercepted two 40-foot containers loaded with expired pharmaceutical products allegedly intended for illegal relabelling and reintroduction into the Nigerian market. The Command placed the Duty Paid Value (DPV) of the seized drugs at ₦12,784,479,341.72, describing the importation attempt as economic sabotage and a serious threat to public health.
Reacting to the seizures, Comptroller Emmanuel Oshoba warned smugglers, drug traffickers and importers of expired pharmaceuticals to abandon such activities, stressing that the Service possesses the intelligence, technology and operational capacity to track and apprehend offenders.
He reiterated that Apapa Port and all Customs-controlled areas remain under constant surveillance, adding that enforcement operations will continue to be intelligence-driven while facilitating legitimate trade.
