Customs CG Adeniyi Displays Narcotics, Fake Drugs Worth ₦53.3b at Apapa

By Aminat Damilola, Assistant Editor

The Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Dr. Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, has showcased nine containers of narcotics and expired pharmaceutical products seized by his men at the Apapa Area Command.

The Duty Paid Value of the seized items is ₦53.3billion.

CGC Adeniyi Addressing reporters in Apapa.

Addressing reporters in Lagos TODAY, Adeniyi described the seizures as products of painstaking intelligence gathering, scanning and analysis, physical examination, and active collaboration with the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).

One of the seized containers

CGC Adeniyi (2nd Right Up) in Apapa, 

According to Adeniyi, the seized items are:
A 40ft container (CAAU7569127): Containing 3,639 parcels of Cannabis Sativa (“Canadian Loud”) weighing 1,819.5 kilograms, concealed with imported vehicles and spare parts.

The second 40ft container (HAMU3246311): Containing 9,918 sachets of Cannabis Sativa weighing about 4.95 metric tonnes, concealed with vehicles and household items.

Another two 40ft containers (MRKU3816476 and TGBU5399178): Together conveying 1,700 and 1,698 cartons of Codeine Syrup (roughly 339,800 bottles), concealed inside casserole products.

Three 40ft containers (HASU4519480, MRKU4961275, and PCIU8771576): Carrying expired pharmaceuticals, including Tramadol (Timakadol), Oxytocin injections, Mexclor Eye Drops, Carbamazepine tablets (Termigral), Cloxacillin capsules, Cynamine Vitamin B-12 injections, and Becoline B-Complex injections.

A 20ft container (MRKU6964435): Carrying Piccan Teething Powder.A 40ft container (TCKU7000791): Carrying 1,100 packages of CHACOLD Chlorpheniramine Maleate Capsules bearing a fake NAFDAC registration number (04-6646) and a December 2028 expiry date.

These seizures, according to the CGC, “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.

The importation of expired pharmaceuticals and controlled substances, Adeniyi said, “poses a direct threat to public health, while the sophisticated concealment methods adopted by these criminal networks demonstrate their determination to exploit legitimate trade channels for illicit purposes.”

Adeniyi added that these interceptions “equally demonstrate that the Nigeria Customs Service possesses the intelligence capability, technological capacity and operational readiness to detect, intercept and dismantle these criminal enterprises
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…”Regarding the last consignment, Adeniyi said the shipment initially appeared legitimate**,** but was flagged through Non-Intrusive Inspection and intelligence analysis, after which verification established that the product was not NAFDAC-registered.

He said the use of a fake registration number pointed to a deliberate attempt to smuggle unregistered pharmaceutical products into the Nigerian market**,** and the Service seized the consignment under the Nigeria Customs Service Act 2023 for handover to NAFDAC

The Comptroller-General said narcotic drugs would be formally handed over to the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) for investigation and prosecution, while expired pharmaceuticals would go to the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) for regulatory action and safe disposal.

Adeniyi commended the Apapa Area Command and reaffirmed that “every intelligence lead will be pursued, every violation thoroughly investigated and every offender brought to justice in accordance with the law,” warning smugglers that Nigeria’s ports “are no longer safe havens.”

The Apapa Customs Controller, Comptroller Emmanuel Oshoba, formally handed over the narcotics to the NDLEA Chairman, Brig-Gen Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), who was represented by the Assistant Commander-General of Narcotics, Achie-Abia Ogboba..

Speaking on behalf of Brig-Gen Marwa, Ogboba described the event as a landmark in NDLEA-Customs synergy, noting that the agencies had jointly removed 6,778.5 kilograms of Cannabis Indica (“Canadian Loud”) from circulation through two major seizures recorded on June 15 and 24, 2026.She credited the operation—developed over four months of surveillance—to intelligence-led work by the NDLEA Special Investigation Unit and Marine Intelligence Unit, in collaboration with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP).

Tracing the trafficking route, Ogboba said the first container, CAAU7569127, left Toronto on 16 April 2026, moved by rail to Montreal, then by vessel Ghallow Express to Tangier Med, Morocco, on 6 May, before being trans-shipped onto the Spartel Trader, which berthed at Tin Can Island Port on 27 May. It was moved to the Global Bonded Terminal and transferred by water to Apapa Port on 10 June, where it was intercepted.

She added that the second container, HAMU3246311, left Montreal on 1 May aboard the Africa Express. It was trans-shipped onto the Algeciras Express on 15 May, arriving at Tin Can Island Port. It was subsequently discharged on 4 June and moved to Apapa Port on 22 June, where it was seized.

She commended officers of the NDLEA, Customs and other security agencies, and thanked the Customs Service for its cooperation.

Speaking, while receiving a container of fake pharmaceuticals from Customs, NAFDAC’s representative, Olakunle Olaniran commended the synergy between the agency and the Customs Service.