Customs stop expired drugs and 1.8 tonnes of cannabis from entering Nigeria

The Nigeria Customs Service at Apapa has stopped an attempt to bring expired drugs into Nigeria. They also seized 1.8 tonnes of cannabis in a series of operations done with other security agencies.

This information came from a statement on Nigeria Customs’ X account. Chief Superintendent of Customs Isah Sulaiman shared the details in a press release on Monday.

Sulaiman explained that the operations were based on good intelligence and better risk profiling. They worked with the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency and other relevant agencies.

He said, “The Command intercepted two 40-foot containers loaded with expired pharmaceutical products allegedly intended for illegal re-labelling and reintroduction into circulation. The combined Duty Paid Value of the intercepted expired pharmaceuticals is N12,784,479,341.72.” He called this attempted importation a serious act of economic sabotage and a danger to public health.

“In one of the major interceptions, officers of the Command seized a 40-foot container numbered CAAU7569127. It contained a large consignment of cannabis, popularly referred to as ‘Canadian loud.’

The Command reported that they recovered a total of 3,639 sachets of the illegal substance. Each sachet weighed 500 grammes, making the total weight about 1,819 kilogrammes (1.81 tonnes).

Sulaiman added that early field tests confirmed the substance as cannabis. He noted that the drugs were “concealed inside a black Toyota Nissan vehicle, a Toyota Sienna, as well as within bags and drums packed inside the container.”

Comptroller Emmanuel Oshoba spoke about the seizures. He warned those involved in such activities to stop. He said, “Unpatriotic importers and their collaborators who deliberately engage in smuggling, drug trafficking and the importation of expired pharmaceuticals are enemies of Nigeria’s progress.”

He also stated, “We have the intelligence, the technology and the resolve to identify and apprehend them. Anyone still contemplating these criminal acts should desist immediately. The consequences will be swift, decisive, and uncompromising.”

Oshoba also emphasized that Apapa Port and all Customs-controlled areas are under constant watch. He added that enforcement operations will continue based on intelligence while ensuring that legal trade is not affected.