NCS displays N1.38bn tramadol seized in Lagos

The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Apapa Area Command, on Thursday displayed 55 cartons of tramadol it seized on July 21.

Comptroller Malanta Yusuf, Apapa Customs Area Controller, while displaying the drug in Lagos, said that it was exported from India and concealed in food flasks.

“On July 21, acting on credible intelligence, our officers at the AP Moller Terminals successfully intercepted a 1X20 feet container No. SUDU- 7538656 manifested as 272 cartons of stainless steel hotpot.

“It was captured and declared as cooking appliances, measuring/checking instrument and furnace burners to evade arrest.

“The said container was positioned, opened and jointly examined with relevant agencies and found to contain 55 cartons of tramadol concealed in food flasks,” he said.

Yusuf said that each carton of tramadol contains 50 rolls; each roll contains 10 packs, while each pack contains 10 sachets, with a street value of N1.38 billion.

He said the container was impounded in line with the provisions of Sections 46 and 47 of the Customs and Excise Management Act (CEMA) Cap 45, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.

Yusuf urged stakeholders in the trade supply chain to always abide by the extant rules.

The comptroller reiterated the command’s resilience in ensuring that the importation of illicit hard drugs were detected, seized and handed over to the appropriate agencies for further regulatory action.

“Furthermore, I use this medium to advise importers and agents to acquaint themselves with import and export prohibition guidelines to safeguard the nation’s economy and security.

“Both customs and other government agencies have put an alert to ensure that illicit drugs importation is completely eradicated from the system.

“We also want to state that customs and the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) share information and synergise to make sure that things work well,” Yusuf said.