The Federal Operations Unit, Zone A Ikeja, Lagos of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has arrested eight suspects in connection with 25 goods seized valued at N2, 055, 321,389.84 in the last two weeks.
The items seized include a heavy duty MAN Diesel truck with registration number XB 286 BEN carrying 2,748 cartons of DSP Codeine Cough Syrup 100mg (100 per carton) and 95 cartons of Chaka pain Xtra.
Speaking while conducting newsmen around the seizures in Lagos on Wednesday, the outgoing Customs Area Controller of the unit, Comptroller Uba Mohammed, estimated the value of the substance to be about N1, 175, 200, 000.00.
According to him, the driver of the truck abandoned the truck and fled on sighting the officers of the unit,
He disclosed further that 49 cartons of tramadol capsules 100mg were evacuated from a warehouse in Ajao Estate following a tip off and that the drugs would be handed over to the National Agency for Food, Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) for further investigation.
Mohammed listed other items under investigations by the Service as including 21 sacks of Pangolin scales weighing 1,031kg and four (4) pieces of elephant tusks weighing 29.35kg from a shop located in Tejuosho market in Victoria Island, Lagos.
He clarified further: “The occupant of the shop fled and is still at large but investigation is already ongoing towards getting the culprit arrested and prosecuted. The seized endangered species have a DPV of N253, 566, 056. 70.
“You will recall that the Minister of state Environment, Mallam Usman Jubril accompanied by the CITES delegates from UN visited the unit, inspected the previous seizure of such endangered species this year and even commended us for a job well done.
“The trade on such endangered species is globally prohibited hence the need for us all to fight against such illegality so that such endangered species do not go into extinction”, the Comptroller added.
Expatiating, he hinted that within the weeks under review, the unit intercepted one Ford Transit Bus with Engine number XL32452L along Olorunda axis of Ogun state conveying 39 sacks and 1,220 parcels of Cannabis Sativa popularly known as Indian hemp weighing 1,610kg concealed with baskets of fresh tomatoes, pepper and vegetables.
Mohammed explained the seized substance would be handed over to the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) for further investigation.
Other goods seized by the FOU during the two-week period were 17 units of exotic vehicles, 1,380 bags of foreign parboiled rice, 1,126 pieces of used shoes and 140 jerry cans of vegetable oil, 7 Toyota Land Cruiser Jeeps (2015-2018), 4 Toyota Hiace Bus (2017), 2 Toyota Coaster Bus (2017) and 4 Toyota Camry (2014).
The customs officer puts the duty paid value of the 17 exotic vehicles at N384, 291, 251. 94.
