Major Drug Bust: Customs Hands-Over ₦96m Worth Of Cannabis To NDLEA (Full Details)

Major Drug Bust: Customs Hands-Over ₦96m Worth Of Cannabis To NDLEA (Full Details)

The Nigeria Customs Service’s Western Marine Command handed over 17 sacks of Cannabis Sativa, containing 1,257 parcels worth ₦96 million, to the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) on Tuesday. The seizure, made along Bar Beach in Lagos State, highlights the ongoing efforts to curb smuggling activities on the Western waterways.

During the handover at the command’s office in Apapa, Lagos, Customs Area Controller Paul Bamisaiye detailed how officers, acting on credible intelligence, intercepted the drugs weighing 609kg. A patrol team at the Bar Beach station spotted a fibre boat with a 200HP Yamaha engine carrying the contraband.

“In a related development on May 19, 2024, officers and men of the command, while on routine patrol along Panko Creek, Badagry waterways, intercepted a wooden boat fitted with a 25HP Yamaha engine carrying suspected contraband items,” Bamisaiye said. The smugglers abandoned their boat and dived into the water upon sighting the patrol.

A detailed inspection revealed 505 bags of foreign parboiled rice worth a combined duty-paid value of ₦59.2 million. These actions contravene sections 245 and 254 of the Nigeria Customs Service Act 2023.

Bamisaiye urged the public and traders to avoid engaging in illicit drug trade and smuggling, emphasizing their role in economic sabotage and links to other crimes like banditry, kidnapping, and armed robbery.

Assistant Commander of Narcotics at NDLEA Marine Command, Maggaji Bashiru, praised the customs command for the interception, highlighting the enhanced cooperation among security agencies. He noted that while agencies are planning strategic approaches to enforce arrests, smugglers are also re-strategizing.

The confiscated items will be taken to the NDLEA command for a thorough investigation.