The Murtala Muhammed International Airport Command of the Nigeria Customs Service said it intercepted over N92 million worth of tramadol tablets smuggled into the country by yet-to-be-identified persons.
The command said the illicit drug which was carefully arranged in 35 cartons was intercepted at SAHCO Import Shed of MMIA, Ikeja, Lagos.
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The Customs Area Controller of MMIA Command, Comptroller Sambo K. Dangaladima, who showcased the seized items before newsmen, said the discovery was made during the outward clearance of imported cargo at SAHCO shed.
Dangaladima put the Duty Paid Value (DPV) of the drugs at N92,267,441.98.
The Comptroller explained that each carton of the illicit drug contained 50,000 tablets, and that multiplied by a total of 35 cartoons were intercepted totaling 1.5 million tablets.
On how the interception was made, the comptroller revealed that the command got intelligence from the Customs International Organisation (CIO) about the movement of the consignment and did a follow-up.
“When the cargo landed, we quarantined it, got other necessary authorities informed, and began the search.
“Though there is no any form of arrest yet, the command will continue to reiterate that customs as a government agency would continue to deal only on legitimate businesses, not on drugs that weigh more than the allowable miligramme,” he said
Dangaladima, who also spoke on some seized explosive items stored in the SAHCO and NAHCO shed, said they have invited the Anti-Bomb Unit of the Nigeria police for proper handing over of the items.
On revenue generation, the comptroller stated that the revenue figure of the command presently stood at N20billion compared to N17.3bn in the same period of 2020, making an increase of N3bn from July to the third week of November 2021.
