The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Apapa Area Command, has intercepted 1.81 tonnes of Cannabis Sativa, popularly known as Canadian Loud, alongside two containers loaded with expired pharmaceutical products at Apapa Port in Lagos. The seized items have a combined Duty Paid Value (DPV) of approximately ₦12.7 billion.
According to Customs authorities, the operation was carried out through intelligence-led surveillance in collaboration with the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency. Officers intercepted a 40-foot container containing 3,639 sachets of cannabis, each weighing 500 grams, bringing the total weight to about 1,819 kilograms (1.81 tonnes). The illicit drugs were reportedly concealed inside vehicles, bags, and drums to evade detection.
In a separate operation, Customs officials discovered two additional 40-foot containers filled with expired pharmaceutical products, including capsules, injections, eye drops, and tablets. Investigators said many of the drugs had expired between 2021 and 2023 and were allegedly intended for relabelling and reintroduction into the Nigerian market.
Speaking on the seizure, Apapa Customs Area Controller Emmanuel Oshoba warned that smugglers, drug traffickers, and importers of expired medicines pose a serious threat to public health, national security, and the economy. He emphasized that Customs would continue to deploy intelligence and technology to combat transnational crime at Nigeria’s ports.
The seizure is one of the largest recorded at Apapa Port this year and underscores growing efforts by Customs and anti-narcotics agencies to curb drug trafficking and the circulation of unsafe pharmaceutical products in the country
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