Customs seizes ₦53.39bn contraband in Apapa, hands over 6,778.5kg cannabis to NDLEA

By Adebola Isimijola, Lagos

The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has handed over 6,778.5 kilograms of Cannabis Sativa, popularly known as Canadian Loud, to the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) after intercepting the illicit consignment at the Apapa Port in Lagos during an intelligence-led operation that also uncovered other prohibited items with a Duty Paid Value (DPV) of ₦53.39 billion.

The Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, announced this on Wednesday during a press briefing at the Apapa Area Command, where he said the seizures reflected the Service’s renewed commitment to protecting the country against illicit drugs, unsafe pharmaceutical products and other prohibited imports.

According to Adeniyi, the operation resulted in nine major seizures following months of intelligence gathering, scanning analysis, physical examination and close collaboration with the NDLEA and other security agencies.

The seizures included two 40-foot containers loaded with a combined 6,778.5kg of Cannabis Sativa concealed alongside imported vehicles, automobile spare parts and household items.

Also intercepted were two containers carrying 339,800 bottles of Codeine Syrup hidden inside cartons of casserole dishes, as well as three containers of expired pharmaceutical products, including Tramadol, Oxytocin injections, Carbamazepine tablets, Cloxicillin capsules, Vitamin B12 injections and other medications.

Customs further seized a container of Piccan Teething Powder and another containing 1,100 packages of CHACOLD Chlorpheniramine Maleate Capsules bearing a fake registration number of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC).

Adeniyi said the combined Duty Paid Value of the nine seizures stood at ₦53,391,140,029.

“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.

He added that while the narcotic drugs were being formally handed over to the NDLEA for further investigation and prosecution, the expired pharmaceutical products would be transferred to NAFDAC for regulatory action and safe disposal.

The Customs boss warned criminal syndicates against using Nigerian ports for illicit trade, stressing that the Service would continue to leverage technology, intelligence and inter-agency collaboration to detect and dismantle smuggling networks.

Receiving the seized cannabis on behalf of the NDLEA, the Agency’s Chairman/Chief Executive Officer, Brig.-Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), represented by the Director of Seaport Operations, ACGN Ibinabo Archie-Abia, described the operation as a significant breakthrough in the fight against transnational drug trafficking.

In a statement by the NDLEA’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, Marwa said the seizures, recorded on June 15 and June 24, followed months of intelligence gathering by the Agency’s Special Investigation Unit and Marine Intelligence Unit in collaboration with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) and the Nigeria Customs Service.

“Through two major seizures recorded on 15th and 24th June 2026, we send a clear and unequivocal message that we are more determined than ever to dismantle organised criminal syndicates and drug trafficking networks operating within and beyond our borders,” Marwa said.

He explained that the traffickers employed sophisticated international maritime routes in an attempt to evade detection, but NDLEA operatives tracked both consignments across multiple continents before intercepting them at the Apapa Port.

According to him, one of the containers departed Toronto, Canada, on April 16, 2026, before moving through Montreal and Morocco to Nigeria, while the second left Montreal on May 1 aboard the vessel Africa Express, was later trans-shipped onto Algeciras Express and intercepted on arrival at Apapa Port.

Marwa said the Agency remained committed to dismantling not only drug trafficking networks but also the financial structures sustaining the illicit trade.

“We are committed to identifying, arresting and prosecuting those responsible, confiscating their criminal assets, and ensuring they derive no benefit whatsoever from their illegal enterprise,” he said.

He commended officers of the NDLEA, the Nigeria Customs Service and other participating security agencies for their professionalism and cooperation, describing the operation as a testament to the effectiveness of intelligence sharing and international collaboration.

Both the Nigeria Customs Service and the NDLEA reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening collaboration to secure the nation’s borders, protect public health and prevent illicit drugs and unsafe pharmaceutical products from finding their way into Nigerian communities.