Customs Seizes Over N53 Billion in Illegal Drugs and Expired Pharmaceuticals

The Nigeria Customs Service has handed over nine containers of illicit, expired, and prohibited pharmaceutical products to the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency and the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control. The seized goods, which were intercepted at the Apapa Area Command, have an estimated duty-paid value of N53.391 billion.

Comptroller-General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, stated that the operation was the result of enhanced intelligence gathering and strategic inter-agency collaboration. The contraband was discovered following a combination of scanning analysis and physical examinations.

The intercepted consignments included a significant volume of controlled substances and compromised medical products. Among the seizures were large quantities of cannabis sativa concealed within imported vehicles and household items, as well as several containers filled with illegal codeine syrup. Additionally, authorities found vast amounts of expired pharmaceutical products, including tramadol, oxytocin injections, eye drops, and various antibiotics. Some of the items, including teething powder and capsules, were found to bear forged regulatory registration numbers and falsified expiry dates.

According to officials, the smugglers attempted to bypass regulations by using fraudulent documentation to misrepresent the contents of the shipments. While the seized items initially appeared to be legitimate imports, detailed verification confirmed they were unauthorized and posed a severe risk to public health.

During the handover ceremony, Customs leadership reiterated that the service is utilizing advanced technology and coordinated border management to close loopholes previously exploited by criminal networks. The NDLEA noted that their involvement in these operations was supported by long-term intelligence development and international cooperation to help dismantle organized drug trafficking syndicates.

The narcotics have been transferred to the NDLEA for investigation and prosecution, while the expired pharmaceutical products have been handed over to NAFDAC for regulatory action and safe disposal.