Customs Hands Over N53.39bn Seized Narcotics, Fake Drugs to NDLEA, NAFDAC
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has handed over nine containers of seized narcotics, fake medicines and unregistered pharmaceutical products with a Duty Paid Value (DPV) of ₦53.39 billion to the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) and the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC).
The Comptroller-General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, performed the handover in Lagos on Wednesday, saying the seizures underscored the Service’s unwavering commitment to protecting Nigerians from the dangers of illicit drugs and unsafe pharmaceutical products.
According to him, the intercepted consignments were the result of painstaking intelligence gathering, scanning analysis, physical examination and sustained inter-agency collaboration, particularly with the NDLEA.
The seized items comprised 6.7 metric tonnes of Cannabis Sativa, 339,800 bottles of Codeine syrup, expired pharmaceutical products and counterfeit medicines.
Adeniyi stressed that the significance of the seizures extended beyond their monetary value, describing the operation as a major victory for public safety and national security.
“These seizures represent far more than monetary value. They represent lives protected, families preserved, communities secured and countless young Nigerians shielded from the devastating consequences of drug abuse and unsafe medicines,” he said.
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The Customs boss commended officers and men of the Apapa Area Command for their professionalism, vigilance and dedication, while also praising the sustained partnership between the Nigeria Customs Service, NDLEA, NAFDAC and other security agencies in combating smuggling and transnational organised crime.
He reaffirmed the Service’s determination to strengthen collaboration with both national and international partners to prevent criminal syndicates from exploiting Nigeria’s ports and borders for illicit trade.
Adeniyi warned smugglers that the Customs Service would continue to intensify intelligence-driven enforcement operations across the country’s entry points.
“To those who seek to use our ports to traffic illicit drugs, expired pharmaceuticals or other prohibited goods, let today’s operation send a clear and unmistakable message that Nigeria’s ports are no longer a safe haven for smugglers or organised criminal networks,” he stated.
Representatives of the NDLEA and NAFDAC, who received the seized consignments, described the handover as a significant milestone in inter-agency cooperation against transnational drug trafficking and the circulation of fake medicines.
They pledged to sustain collaboration with the Nigeria Customs Service in investigating offenders, dismantling criminal networks and safeguarding Nigerians from the threats posed by illicit drugs and unsafe pharmaceutical products.
By PRNigeria
