Customs Seizes Expired Pharmaceuticals, Narcotics Worth ₦53.3bn At Apapa Ports ... Hands Over to Relevant Authorities

The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) today, Wednesday 1st of July 2026 displayed seized expired pharmaceutical products and narcotics worth ₦53.3bn at the Apapa Area Command which were subsequently handed over to the National Agency for Food Drug Administration and Control NAFDAC and National Drug Law Enforcement Agency. NDLEA

The Comptroller-General of Customs, CGC Bashir Adewale Adeniyi PhD, Mfr, while speaking at the handing over ceremony, described the seizures as products of painstaking intelligence gathering, scanning analysis, physical examination and active collaboration with the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).

Giving a breakdown of the seizures, the CGC  listed the seizures to include 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; a second 40ft container (HAMU3246311) with 9,918 sachets of Cannabis Sativa weighing about 4.95 metric tonnes, concealed with vehicles and household items; 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), Cloxicillin capsules, Cynamine Vitamin B12 injections and Becoline B-Complex injections; a 20ft container (MRKU6964435) carrying Piccan Teething Powder; and a 40ft container (TCKU7000791) with 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 him represents 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".

Adeniyi went further to state that the importation of expired pharmaceuticals and controlled substances 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.

“However, 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” Adeniyi stated

On 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 consignment was seized under the Nigeria Customs Service Act 2023 for handover to NAFDAC.

Adeniyi announced that all narcotic consignments had been formally transferred to the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) for further investigation and prosecution, while the expired and counterfeit pharmaceutical products were handed over to the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) for regulatory enforcement and safe disposal.

He commended officers of the Apapa Area Command for their professionalism and vigilance, reaffirming the Service’s commitment to sustaining its anti-smuggling operations.

“Every intelligence lead will be pursued, every violation thoroughly investigated and every offender brought to justice in accordance with the law,” he declared, warning criminal networks that Nigeria’s seaports are “no longer safe havens” for illicit trade.

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

Speaking on behalf of the NDLEA Chairman, Ogboba described the handover as another milestone in the growing partnership between the NDLEA and the Nigeria Customs Service.

She revealed that the two agencies had jointly intercepted a total of 6,778.5 kilograms of Cannabis Indica, popularly known as “Canadian Loud,” through two major operations conducted on June 15 and June 24, 2026.

According to her, the successful operation resulted from intelligence-driven investigations carried out by the NDLEA Special Investigation Unit and Marine Intelligence Unit in collaboration with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), following four months of coordinated surveillance.

She explained that the first container (CAAU7569127) departed Toronto on April 16, 2026, travelled by rail to Montreal, and was shipped aboard the Ghallow Express to Tangier Med, Morocco, before being trans-shipped onto the Spartel Trader to TinCan Island Port. The container was later transferred to the Global Bonded Terminal and subsequently moved by barge to Apapa Port, where it was intercepted.

On the second container (HAMU3246311) departed Montreal on May 1 aboard the Africa Express, was trans-shipped to the Algeciras Express en route to Tin Can Island Port, and was eventually transferred to Apapa Port on June 22, where it was intercepted by security agencies.

Ogboba commended the professionalism of officers of the NDLEA, Nigeria Customs Service and other security agencies involved in the operation, while expressing appreciation to the Customs Service for its sustained collaboration in combating transnational drug trafficking.

Receiving the container of fake pharmaceutical products on behalf of NAFDAC, the agency’s representative, Mr. Olakunle Olaniran, also appreciated the longstanding partnership between NAFDAC and the NCS, describing it as critical to protecting Nigerians from the dangers posed by fake, unregistered and expired medicaments.