- Seized banned drugs worth N10.4bn
Coming on the heels of the reported seizure of 40 containers of Tramadol and other dangerous drugs by the Nigerian Customs Service at the Apapa Port on Thursday worth over N7.3 billion, the Tin-Can Island Customs Command also on Friday said that its men intercepted 13 containers of the banned drug along with other contraband items worth N3,134,029,290.00 from India.
The tablets which were in various dosages ranging from 120 milligrams to 250 milligrams were recovered from containers at the two ports in Lagos.
Addressing journalists in Lagos on Thursday at the Apapa port, Comptroller General of Customs, Hameed Ali, said the officers of the Command and the Federal Operation Unit , Zone A, turned down $412,000 worth of bribe money to the officers.
The Customs boss explained that the importers of the tramadol offered bribes to the tune of N150million to officers to effect the release of just one container with promises of even bigger sums to follow in the event that, their first attempt succeeds but the officers played along and eventually arrested three suspects with the
money.
Also on Friday the Tin-Can Island Command also revealed that 13 containers of tramadol valued at N3.1bn were intercepted at the port.
The Comptroller-General of Customs, Ali , who was represented by the Deputy Comptroller-General of Customs , Enforcement, Inspection and Investigation, DCG Austin Chidi, displayed the items at the Tin Can Command in Lagos on Friday.
According to the Customs boss, the seizures include; 11x 40ft and 2x 20ft containers of Tramadol, Ciprofloxacin capsules, Diclofenac Sodium Tablets, Soffeathe I.V Cannula, Sildencfil Citrate Tablets, Bleaching Soaps, Bales of used Clothing with a total Duty Paid Value (DPV) of three billion, one hundred and thirty-four million, twenty-nine thousand, two hundred and ninety naira (N3,134,029,290.00).
Chidi noted that two of the containers had earlier been handed over to the National Agency for Drugs Administration and Control on October 11 and 20, while one container of tramadol was handed over to NDLEA on November 2, 2018.
“In the same vein, a container of soap suspected to contain harmful bleaching ingredients and two containers of soap suspected to contain harmful bleaching ingredients and two containers of used clothing were seized in line with the provisions of CEMA CAP C45 LFN 2004 Sections 46 and 161. All the seizures were in violation of the absolute prohibition list of CET 2015- 2019,” he
said.
