The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Apapa Area Command, has dismantled a smuggling ring that specialised in importing fake and unregistered pharmaceuticals into the country.
This announcement comes barely two weeks after the Comptroller-General of the Service, Adewale Adeniyi, displayed 12 containers of seized pharmaceuticals at the same Apapa Customs Command.
Addressing reporters in Lagos yesterday, the Controller of the command, Babatunde Olomu, announced the seizure of another 6 containers of unregistered pharmaceuticals at the port.
According to Olomu, “We recently uncovered six more containers laden with prohibited items, mostly unregistered pharmaceuticals. Other items in the seized containers include cosmetics, used clothing and two vehicles illegally imported into the country. These seizures are worth a total Duty Paid Value (DPV) of N3,247,427,969.00.
Olomu categorised the seized containers into three: “Category 1 – Container No. SUDU 8685733 (40FT) contained 1,698 of RTPL CSC Cough syrup with codeine concealed in 202 packages of water closet; Container No. MRSU 4846204 (40FT) was laden with 1,690 cartons of codeine syrup concealed in the toilet seat. The two seizures have a street value of N2,710,400.00.
“Interestingly, these two containers were intercepted as a result of international collaboration as well as local networking with officers and men of the Nigeria Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA),” Olomu said.
The second category is “container No. ONEU 1153150 (40 FT) which contained 1,584 packages of Globatin anti-marks & 30g Clobetasol cream falsely declared as Truck Tyres while container No. MRSU 3258823 (40 FT) was found to contain Rabeprazole, for injection, 25mg Zahifranil tablets, 1000mg vancomycine hydrochloride, cyproheptadine with vitamin B complex, and other pharmaceutical products without NAFDAC registration number, falsely declared as kitchen wares and tables.”
Category three, he said, was “Container No. MRKU 0904594 (40 FT) was found to contain two stolen vehicles from Canada. A 2024 model Lexus RX 450h vehicle with chassis number JTJCJNGA6R2017707 and another 2023 Lexus RX 350 with chassis number 2T2BAMCAPCO32741 falsely declared as food items, and another container no. SEKU 4716830 (40 FT) was found to contain 390 bales of used clothing, which contravenes the import prohibition law.”
Olomu stressed that the Service is primarily focused on facilitating trade and collecting revenue for the government; the NCS owes the Nigerian citizens the duty of protecting them from dangerous imports that are injurious to their health and well-being.
The Service, Olomu said, is determined to avoid making Nigerians vulnerable to the selfish interests of merchants of death, whose stock in trade is to bring in harmful substances. We also intercepted two cars stolen from Canada that were attempting to be smuggled into Nigeria,” Comptroller Olomu posited.
