Customs seizes N870m drugs, others

Officials of the Federal Operations Unit (FOU), Zone C of the Nigeria Customs Service in the South-South and South-East, have seized N870 million worth of drugs and other contraband.

The operations which started January 1 – 31, 2021 led to the seizure of 1,024 cartons of unregistered pharmaceutical products, 1,046 bags of foreign parboiled rice of 50kg each, 290 cartons of imported Eva soap, 62 jumbo bales of used clothing, and a 2018 Toyota Corolla.

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Also seized were 1,024 cartons of unregistered Colcap medicament imported from China

The Controller FOU Zone C, Owerri, Yusuf Lawal, in a statement said officers of the unit trailed the 1,046 bags of foreign parboiled rice to a warehouse in Port Harcourt from where they were evacuated to the Customs warehouse in Owerri.

He said: “Our concern now is to unravel those behind the importation, their accomplices and their antics of scaling through unapproved routes. The negative effects of unlicensed drugs in the wrong hands cannot be overemphasized.

“The drugs were intercepted along Ofosu-Benin Expressway based on shared intelligence.

Equally, 290 cartons of soap were also intercepted along Aba-Owerri Road based on intelligence.”