Customs seizes N690 million worth of illicit drugs

The Katsina Command of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has successfully seized illicit drugs valued at approximately N690 million naira, involving the interception of two vehicles transporting these substances.

Idriss Abba-Aji, the NCS Controller in Katsina, disclosed this information during a press briefing with journalists on Tuesday regarding the arrests and seizures made by the command.

As detailed by Abba-Aji, the operatives recovered 14 cartons of Tramadol, estimated to be worth N650 million naira, as well as Fragbaline capsules valued at 28 million naira, both of which were concealed within separate vehicles. He further indicated that these seizures occurred over a two-week period, during which cannabis sativa with an approximate value of 15 million naira was also confiscated.

“Recently, we have observed a trend where our borders are exploited for drug smuggling operations. Vehicles are often employed strategically to mislead security personnel during inspections,” Abba-Aji explained. He emphasized that the public must understand that customs officials are tasked with stopping all vehicles to conduct thorough checks.

While members of the public occasionally express concerns about customs personnel disrupting commuters, Abba-Aji clarified that drug traffickers typically do not utilize lorries or open vehicles. Instead, they tend to disguise the transportation of illicit drugs within vehicles designed to appear inconspicuous.

The importance of comprehensive inspections was underscored by Abba-Aji, who noted that without stopping and searching vehicles, operatives would not be able to identify such concealments. He remarked that the recent confiscation of two vehicles on separate occasions was a fortunate outcome of diligent efforts.

Abba-Aji indicated that each vehicle was loaded with significant quantities of illicit drugs, which may have been distributed throughout Katsina and neighboring states had they not been intercepted. He revealed, “In a recent operation at one of our borders, we seized 14 cartons of Tramadol valued at approximately N650 million naira. This represents the largest seizure of such nature in our command.”

Addressing the correlation between drug abuse and banditry in the region, he affirmed that drug misuse exacerbates insecurity. Consequently, the command has intensified its enforcement operations to combat this issue. It is noteworthy that one suspect was arrested in connection with one of the vehicles but was subsequently released on administrative bail.

In addition, the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Seme Area Command, recently reported the interception of five trucks containing 2,800 bags of smuggled foreign parboiled rice, cannabis, and other prohibited items. The overall Duty Paid Value (DPV) of these items was estimated at 1,268,794,474 naira, as stated by the Customs Area Controller, Dr. Benedict Oramalugo, during a press briefing at the Joint Border Post complex in Seme.

These interceptions, which took place between July 1 and 19, were based on credible intelligence gathered by operatives along the Lagos–Abidjan corridor. Moreover, the NCS intercepted 25 containers of pharmaceutical products and other counterfeit substances valued at 9.23 billion naira, which have been submitted to the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) for further scrutiny.

The Comptroller-General of Customs (CGC), Bashir Adeniyi, confirmed this development during a handover event in Apapa, Lagos. He remarked that the 25 containers, with a total Duty Paid Value of 9.23 billion naira, highlight a sophisticated network of criminal enterprises that exploit regulatory gaps, thereby undermining national health security.