The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Apapa Area Command, has struck again, delivering a crushing blow to drug trafficking networks with the seizure of codeine syrup consignments valued at a staggering ₦3.398 billion.
The latest interception came barely five days after the Comptroller-General of Customs (CGC), Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, declared Apapa Port off-limits to smugglers and criminal syndicates exploiting trade channels.
In what officials described as a swift and intelligence-driven operation, officers of the Command, working in synergy with the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), intercepted two containers laden with illicit substances on Sunday, March 15, 2026.
A breakdown of the seizure revealed a total of 3,398 cartons, equivalent to 339,800 bottles of Codeine-containing Syrup (CSP), cleverly concealed within household utensils to evade detection.
Customs authorities disclosed that the consignments carried a Duty Paid Value (DPV) of ₦3,398,000,000, underscoring the magnitude of the bust and the sophistication of the smuggling attempt.
Further details indicated that Container No. MRKU 3816476 concealed 1,700 cartons of the substance alongside 38 cartons of insulated casserole items, while Container No. TGBU 5399178 held 1,698 cartons hidden within 36 cartons of similar household goods.
Both containers, officials confirmed, have since been formally seized in line with provisions of the Nigeria Customs Service Act 2023, as amended.
Speaking on the development, the Customs Area Controller (CAC), Apapa Command, Comptroller Emmanuel Oshoba, said the operation reflects the Command’s unwavering alignment with the CGC’s zero-tolerance stance on smuggling.
He stressed that the latest success was a direct response to the CGC’s recent charge, noting that Apapa Port is increasingly becoming a hostile terrain for criminal networks seeking to undermine national security and public health.
Oshoba also commended the NDLEA for its seamless collaboration, describing the joint effort as critical in dismantling organized drug trafficking rings operating through the port.
Reaffirming the Command’s resolve, the CAC maintained that Apapa Customs would continue to deploy intelligence-led strategies, leverage technology, and strengthen inter-agency cooperation to ensure only legitimate trade thrives within Nigeria’s premier maritime gateway.