Customs seize cannabis worth N516m in Lagos

5,124 kilograms of Cannabis sativa were seized by the Nigeria Customs Service (NCSCustoms )'s Strike Force, Team A, near Lekki, Lagos.

The team comptroller, Sani Yusuf, stated this on Wednesday in Lagos at a press conference.

According to Yusuf, the contraband, with an estimated duty-paid value of N516 million, was intercepted in January as a result of reliable intelligence.

Before his guys were able to stop them, the contraband, he continued, was being transported directly from the ship to trucks.

“The Cannabis was intercepted following a credible intelligence. We intercepted it somewhere around Lekki along the coast at midnight.

“On getting there, we saw several persons loading the contraband from the ship directly into the truck in spite of the sea waves.

“Immediately our officers got there, they discovered that they had already loaded the first truck, they were loading the second and third trucks when we got there, and there was pandemonium.

“Arriving at the scene, we saw some other agencies, we don’t know who they were. But after heated arguments, we were able to take the truck down to our office, and the people who were loading the consignment ran away,” he said.

According to Yusuf, the reason the authorities were able to seize one truck was that it had already been loaded, was waiting to be removed when his guys smashed the other trucks, and was parked outside.

“This particular truck was parked outside while they were loading the other two trucks, they never knew we were coming. So, the truck had been loaded and was kept outside.

“So, when we came, while they were arguing we decided it was better to take the one we were seeing and also for the safety of our officers. So, one of the officers drove the truck,” he said.

He added that within the same time, the team also seized 11 bales of used apparel with a DPV of N3 million and 705 bags of 50kg foreign parboiled rice with a duty-paid value of N42 million.

The controller added that the team seized several contrabands between January and December 2022, with a duty worth N9 billion.

When compared to the N3.9 billion generated in 2021, the figure, according to him, represented a 55% rise.

“Among the items seized in 2022 included, 225mg of tramadol, 100mg of sildenafil citrate, codeine cough syrup, used tyres, bales of second-hand clothing, bags of foreign parboiled rice, containers of timber, pangolin scales, slabs of Donkey skin, Cannabis sativa among others.

“The sum of N5.8 billion was generated as revenue through demand notices from January to December 2022,”: he said.

He issued a warning to all disloyal importers and their agents who dared the Customs officials, saying that the service would not only seize their goods but also have their agents detained so they could face the full force of the law.

He said that the crew has already reenergized its 24/7 activities.

“We are relying on our gallant and intelligent officers to suppress smuggling and prevent revenue loss because our commitment to doing better in 2023 and beyond is hereby renewed,” he said.

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