The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has foiled an attempt by a syndicate to smuggle illicit drugs worth N1.183 billion into the country. The drugs were concealed in four 40-foot containers at the Apapa Port in Lagos.
According to a statement from the Command’s Public Relations Officer, Mr. Usman Abubakar, a Chief Superintendent of Customs, three containers were seized at the AP Moller Terminal, while 236,783 bottles of cough syrup, packed in 2,174 cartons, were confiscated at Kachicares Bonded Terminal.
Customs Area Controller of the Command, Comptroller Babatunde Olomu, described the seizures as a result of the service’s zero tolerance for smuggling. On October 11, 2024, during a joint examination, officers found prohibited CSP cough syrup in 34,800 bottles packed in 174 cartons, each containing 200 bottles.
On the same day, another container, numbered TGBU8886020, was discovered to hold 39,700 bottles of DSP cough syrup, packed in 100 bottles per carton. On October 15, a third container, TCKU6800526, claimed to contain essential goods, was examined and found to conceal 19 cartons of CSJ cough syrup with codeine, packed in 200 bottles each.
At Kachicares Resources Terminal, a container labeled as containing kitchen wares was also examined on October 15 and found to hold 1,584 cartons of cough syrup for throat and chest, along with 83 loose bottles.
Olomu reiterated the NCS’s commitment to seamless trade facilitation while emphasizing the importance of revenue collection and anti-smuggling efforts. He warned potential perpetrators to avoid the Apapa Port, stating that customs officers are equipped with intelligence, technology, and experience to detect smuggling activities.
The abuse of codeine has been linked to various health issues, including nausea, sleepiness, and impaired cognitive function, leading to irrational behavior and criminal tendencies. The federal government banned the importation of codeine cough syrup in 2018 due to its adverse effects on youth addiction and the associated rise in criminal activities.