Customs opens 12 containers at Apapa Port, finds 7.6 tonnes of cannabis, 170,000 codeine bottles and more

• Customs found 7.6 tonnes of cannabis hidden inside three containers at Apapa Port.

• Another container contained almost 170,000 bottles of codeine syrup hidden under household goods.

• Officers also seized 108 drones and expired products, including ketchup, antiseptic and vaginal tablets.

What looked like ordinary cargo at Lagos' Apapa Port turned out to contain more than 7.6 tonnes of cannabis, nearly 170,000 bottles of codeine syrup and 108 drones inside over a dozen containers at the port, according to the Nigeria Customs Service.

The Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, disclosed these figures and claimed that the consignments had a combined Duty Paid Value (DPV) of ₦43.59 billion. The scale of the seizure was striking, but so was the way some of the prohibited goods were allegedly hidden.

Three containers contained 15,245 parcels of cannabis sativa. The drugs were concealed among seemingly ordinary cargo, including automobile spare parts, vehicles, food products, batteries and fish.

One container, for example, contained more than 4,700 parcels alongside automobile spare parts, coffee mix, oats and three vehicles. Another had more than 8,200 parcels hidden with vehicles and other goods.

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Customs said the discoveries were made through intelligence-sharing with the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) and international security partners, followed by cargo profiling and targeted inspections. The cannabis was not the only major drug seizure.

In another container, officers found 1,700 cartons of codeine syrup containing 169,998 bottles. The bottles were allegedly hidden underneath household goods. That is almost 170,000 bottles of codeine in a single shipment.

Customs also intercepted 108 high-definition dual-camera drones, which it described as security-sensitive equipment.

The agency said such equipment requires appropriate approvals and end-user certificates before it can be imported into Nigeria. The drones were therefore taken for further action by the relevant security authorities.

Five other containers contained expired products, including tomato ketchup, antiseptic liquid, vaginal tablets and disposable nappies. The seizures also included 1,282 bales of used clothing.

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These products raised a different concern because some were meant to be consumed or used on the body.

According to Customs, the operation highlights how prohibited goods can be concealed inside legitimate-looking packages to avoid detection.

Narcotics can be packed alongside spare parts and vehicles, controlled drugs can be hidden beneath household products, while restricted equipment can be declared as ordinary electronics.

The Customs Service said it is increasingly relying on intelligence, risk assessment and targeted cargo examinations to identify suspicious shipments at the port.

The agency is also working with organisations including the NDLEA, the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), the Office of the National Security Adviser and international security agencies.

However, it’s shocking that tonnes of cannabis, almost 170,000 bottles of codeine and expired products intended for human use would have entered the market and been distributed for use among Nigerians, who are already battling with widespread production and distribution of fake goods, had customs not seized them.