The Nigerian Customs Service (NCS) Friday announced its interception of 21 contraband drugs including tramadol valued at over N5 billion.
The National Public Relations Officer (NPRO) of NCS, Assistant Comptroller Joseph Attah, told newsmen in Ikeja that the drugs were intercepted when the smugglers of the items were attempting to move them from Lagos to other parts of the country.
The smugglers, according to him,had intended to seize the opportunity of the festive mood of the last Eid-el-Kabir to play a fast one on the Customs.
The seizure was effected on August 3,Attah said at the Ikeja Training College of the service where the truck containing the drugs is being detained.
He said:“On Aug. 13, at about 2 am, operatives of the Headquarters Strike Force Zone A intercepted a truck laden with dreaded codeine, tramadol and other controlled pain killers along Maryland, Ikeja road.
“The intercepted trailer contains illicit drugs and was immediately brought to the attention of the team leader of the force, Assist. Comptroller of Customs Usman Yahya, who deepened preliminary investigation that led to the discovery of a warehouse along Oshodi-Mile 2 road.
“The warehouse was stocked with tramadol, codeine and other unregistered pharmaceutical products without the National Agency for Foods Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC) number,” Attah said.
He said the warehouse was immediately sealed with a detachment of well-armed officers to guard the place.
Attah said the Comptroller-General of Customs (CGC), Col. Hameed Ali (rtd), had already directed a thorough investigation with a view to bringing all those connected to the drugs to justice.
He said that evaluation of those intercepted drugs had commenced, adding that a suspect who happened to be the truck driver was apprehended and in custody for judicial process.
