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The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Federal Operations Unit (FOU) Zone ‘A’, Ikeja, has intercepted cocaine worth N2.35 billion, 15 trailers of rice and seized thousands of smuggled items, including vehicles, and petroleum products, in a major anti-smuggling operation across the South-West.
Comptroller Gambo Aliyu disclosed this on Tuesday during a press briefing in Lagos, where he highlighted the unit’s activities over the past eight weeks.
He stated that the unit intercepted 473 smuggling attempts within the period, leading to the seizure of 8,794 bags of 50kg foreign rice, equivalent to about 15 trailer loads, 22 used vehicles, 328 bales of used clothing, and 31,705 litres of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), a Mercedes-Benz vehicle valued at ₦119, among other items further clarifying that the rice displayed at the briefing represented cumulative seizures made across the zone at different locations and times.
“All the rice you see here are accumulative of seizures carried out at different places, at different times, and through different interdictions across the zone,” he said.
He also stressed the devastating impact of drug trafficking on society, noting that many homes have been destroyed as a result of drug abuse and related criminal activities.
“In homes, it will surprise you to know that a lot of homes are broken due to drugs and are results of drug trafficking. Our mandate is to cut off the supply chain, and that is exactly what we are doing,” Aliyu added.
He further disclosed that operatives also confiscated 531 cartons of foreign poultry products, 1,188 kegs of vegetable oil, 485 used tyres, and several cartons of spaghetti and sugar which according to him were made possible through enhanced surveillance, intelligence sharing, and inter-agency collaboration aimed at enforcing federal fiscal policies and curbing illicit trade.
Comptroller Aliyu revealed that officers at the Gbaji outpost intercepted a 71 year old suspect along the Lagos-Abidjan corridor with 6.35kg of cocaine concealed in a Toyota Highlander saying the narcotics, comprising powdered and crystalline variants, have an estimated street value of N2.35 billion.
He further disclosed that the unit, under a special operation code-named “Operation Hawk,” seized 3,340 parcels of synthetic cannabis popularly known as “Ghanaian loud,” weighing 1,540kg noting that the drugs would be handed over to the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) for further investigation and prosecution.
In another development, the FOU Customs operatives intercepted four cylinders of mercury concealed in a vehicle along the Lagos-Abidjan corridor. Aliyu described the substance as hazardous and regulated under international conventions while on revenue generation.
Comptroller said an estimated Duty Paid Value (DPV) of N5.5 billion was calculated for the seizures within the period under review, reflecting the scale and effectiveness of the FOU Zone A enforcement operations.
He also added that an additional N97.7 million was recovered through the issuance of Demand Notices on under-declared consignments reaffirming the unit’s commitment to leveraging modern technologies, including geospatial intelligence, drone surveillance, and real-time tracking, to combat smuggling and enhance border security.
The three defendants apprehended in connection with the seizures, alongside the confiscated drugs, were handed over to the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) for further investigation and possible prosecution.
