Apapa Customs Seizes 1.8 Tonnes of Cannabis, Expired Pharmaceuticals Worth ₦12.8bn

.Busts Transnational Crime Ring

The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Apapa Area Command, has intercepted 1,819 kilograms (1.8 tonnes) of cannabis sativa and expired pharmaceutical products illegally imported into the country, in what it described as a major breakthrough in its ongoing efforts to combat transnational organised crime, illicit trade, and threats to national security and public health.

The seized items have a Duty Paid Value (DPV) of ₦12.8 billion.

This was disclosed in a statement issued on Tuesday, 16 June 2026, by the Command’s Public Relations Officer, Chief Superintendent of Customs Isah Sulaiman.

According to the statement, officers of the Command, in collaboration with the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), acted on credible intelligence, and deployed advanced risk assessment tools, to intercept a 1 x 40 foot container with number CAAU7569127 on Monday, 15 June 2026 at about 1200hrs.

The container was found to contain a large consignment of Cannabis Sativa, fondly called “Canadian Loud.”

According to the statement, the operation resulted in the recovery of 3,639 sachets of the illicit substance, each weighing 500 grams, bringing the total weight to approximately 1,819 kilograms (1.81 tonnes).

“Preliminary field tests conducted on the substance revealed that the substance is Cannabis Sativa”.

It reads further that, “The drugs were cleverly concealed inside a black Toyota Nissan vehicle, a Toyota Sienna, and several bags and drums loaded inside the container.

“This high-impact interception underscores the Command’s enhanced capacity to detect and dismantle sophisticated smuggling networks seeking to exploit Nigeria’s strategic maritime entry points.

The operation resulted in the recovery of 3,639 sachets of the illicit substance, each weighing 500 grams, bringing the total weight to approximately 1,819 kilograms (1.81 tonnes). Preliminary field tests conducted on the substance returned positive results for Cannabis Sativa.

“The drugs were cleverly concealed inside a black Toyota Nissan vehicle, a Toyota Sienna, and several bags and drums loaded within the container. This high-impact interception underscores the Command’s enhanced capacity to detect and dismantle sophisticated smuggling networks seeking to exploit Nigeria’s strategic maritime entry points,” the statement partly reads.

In a related development, the Command also announced the interception of two additional 40-foot containers loaded with expired pharmaceutical products illegally imported into the country.

It said that physical examination revealed the products bore varied expiry dates of 2021, 2022, and 2023 items, which the importers had reportedly planned to relabel and reintroduce into the Nigerian market, posing grave health risks to unsuspecting consumers.

“Container PCIU8771576 was found to contain expired pharmaceuticals including Cidoxilin Capsules, Cynamine Vitamin B12 Injection, and Becoline B-Complex Injection. Container MRKU4961275 held a range of expired medical products including Oxytocin Injection, Mexclor Eye Drops, Avomex Tablets, Carbamazepine Tablets, Silymarin Tablets, Nystatin Tablets, and Hyoscine Butylbromide Tablets.

“The combined Duty Paid Value (DPV) of all seized items stands at Twelve Billion, Seven Hundred and Eighty-Four Million, Four Hundred and Seventy-Nine Thousand, Three Hundred and Forty-One Naira, Seventy-Two Kobo (₦12,784,479,341.72) only. These interceptions have effectively prevented potentially harmful and counterfeit medications from infiltrating hospitals, pharmacies, and homes across Nigeria”.

While commenting on the seizures, the Customs Area Controller of the command, Comptroller Emmanuel Oshoba, issued a stern warning to the unpatriotic citizens, stating, “Unpatriotic importers and their collaborators who deliberately engage in smuggling, drug trafficking, and the importation of expired pharmaceuticals are enemies of Nigeria’s progress.

“We have the intelligence, technology, and the resolve to identify and apprehend them. Anyone still contemplating these criminal acts should immediately desist because the consequences will be swift, decisive, and uncompromising. Apapa Port will not be used as a conduit for economic sabotage and public health endangerment.”

Comptroller Oshoba further assured the public that Apapa Port and all Customs-controlled areas remain under constant surveillance, with officers remaining resolute in their mandate to protect the Nigerian economy, safeguard public health, and prevent criminal exploitation of the nation’s borders.