Customs Zone C Seizes N178m Drug Contrabands

The Federal Operations Unit (FOU) in Zone C of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has intercepted consignments of medicament including the banned Tramadol and other unregistered drugs, with a duty paid value (DPV) of N178,209,310.

The contraband impounded across the zone in March included foreign rice, used shoes, machine spare parts with combined DPV of N112,617,700.

The Customs Area Controller in charge of FOU in Zone C (Owerri), Comptroller Mohammed Garba, displayed the consignments during a media briefing last week.

Comptroller Garba said the unit recovered N48,742,845, being underpayments within the time under review.

The Customs boss also disclosed that the unit made 17 seizures comprising various contrabands with DPV of N112,617,700 in March.

He said the unit, during its anti-smuggling operations in March, also intercepted and detained a huge consignment of medicament estimated at N178,209,310 in duty paid value.

This brought the duty paid value for seizures and goods in its custody in March to N250,951,010.

Giving a further breakdown, the Comptroller said the unit recorded 2,455 bags of rice with DPV of N77,558,800; 1,266 foot wears with DPV of N6,076,800; 307 used tyres with DPV of N3,789,600; 100 bags of used shoes with DPV of N8,100,000; 40 bales of used clothing with DPV of N5,280,000 and three vehicles with DPV of N4,050,000.

On the medicament intercepted in the Agbor axis of the zone, Garba said they included 268 cartons of Tramadol, 202 cartons of Pullegra, 36 cartons of Reall Octra and 928 packets of Tramadol.

Garba said a sample of the various medicaments had been sent to the National Agency for Foods and Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC) for tests and verification while the consignment was being detained for further investigations.