Nigeria Customs Hands Over ₦53.39bn Worth of Seized Drugs to NDLEA, NAFDAC
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has handed over nine containers of seized narcotics and unregistered pharmaceutical products intercepted by the Apapa Area Command to the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) and the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC).
The handover, which took place in Lagos on Wednesday, was performed by the Comptroller-General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi.
According to the Customs Service, the seizures were made through intelligence gathering, scanning, physical examination of cargo and sustained collaboration with the NDLEA.
The seized items include 6.7 metric tonnes of Cannabis Sativa, 339,800 bottles of codeine syrup, expired pharmaceutical products and counterfeit medicines, with a combined Duty Paid Value (DPV) of ₦53.39 billion.
Speaking during the handover ceremony, Adeniyi said the operation was a major victory for public safety, stressing that the true value of the seizures goes beyond their monetary worth.
He said the interception of the illicit consignments represents lives saved, families protected, communities secured and thousands of young Nigerians shielded from the dangers of drug abuse and unsafe medicines.
The Comptroller-General commended officers and men of the Apapa Area Command for their professionalism, vigilance and commitment to duty. He also praised the strong partnership between the Nigeria Customs Service, NDLEA, NAFDAC and other security agencies in tackling the smuggling of prohibited items.
Adeniyi reaffirmed the Service’s commitment to strengthening collaboration with both national and international partners to prevent criminal networks from exploiting Nigeria’s ports and borders for illegal activities.
He warned smugglers and criminal syndicates that the Nigeria Customs Service would continue to intensify intelligence-driven operations to intercept illicit drugs, fake medicines and other prohibited goods.
Representatives of the NDLEA and NAFDAC, who received the seized consignments, described the handover as another milestone in inter-agency cooperation against transnational drug trafficking.
They pledged to sustain collaboration with the Nigeria Customs Service in investigating offenders, dismantling criminal networks and protecting Nigerians from the harmful effects of illicit drugs and unsafe pharmaceutical products.
Nigeria Customs Hands Over ₦53.39bn Worth of Seized Drugs to NDLEA, NAFDAC