The Nigeria Customs Service has handed over illicit drug importations worth oover N8 billion to the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) at Tincan Island Port, Apapa, Lagos
The Tincan Port Command of the Service confirmed the massive drug handover in a statement on Tuesday.
The command’s Public Relations Officer, Oscar Ivara said the illicit importations were handed over to the NDLEA during a brief ceremony held in the Enforcement Unit of the Tincan Island Port Command on Monday.
Customs Area Controller (CAC), Frank Onyeka who handed over the items to the Commander, NDLEA, Tincan Island Strategic Command, Mitchell Ofoyeju noted that the drugs were intercepted following high level of intelligence gathered by officers in the Command, in collaboration with the men of the NDLEA.
Comptroller Onyeka disclosed that the two units of 20FT containers which were intercepted in different batches, were falsely declared to contain used Cars and used Auto Spare parts originating from Canada.
He gave the breakdown of the consignments to include one unit of 20 ft Container No. TCNU 194586/1, which was intercepted on the 27 of February , 2025 and found to contain 128 packets of Cannabis Indica, Which weighed a total of 63.75 kilograms with an an estimated street value of N414.37 million.
“The second container with no. MSMU 838666/3 was intercepted on the 12 of December , 2024 and was found to contain 97 packets of Crystals Methamphetamine, weighing a total of 78.3 kilograms with an estimated street value of N2 billion and 1,735 packets of Cannabis Indica with a total weight of 867.5 kilograms and an estimated street value of N5.63 billion, which brought the total street value of the seized drugs to N8.05 billion,” Comptroller Onyeka was quoted in the statement.
Onyeka noted that the seizures underscored the Command’s dedication to safeguarding the nation from the menace of illicit drugs. He reiterated the Command’s commitment to facilitating trade, while remaining vigilant against activities that threatens National Security and public health.
“He pointed out that the Command will continue to enhance its operational strategies, including intelligence gathering and inter-agency collaboration, to effectively combat smuggling and other illicit activities,” he said.
