The Apapa Command of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) seized 25.5 kilograms of cocaine aboard the Brazilian vessel MV San Anthonio throughout an intelligence-led inspection on the Lagos port.
The announcement was contained in a press release issued on Saturday by CSC Isah Sulaiman, spokesperson of the Command.
Customs officers found 24 parcels of cocaine hid in 5 baggage on the vessel, which originated from Brazil and had made earlier stops in Honduras and Guatemala.
Following the invention, the ship was detained for additional investigation.
Comptroller Emmanuel Oshoba, Customs Space Controller for Apapa Port, mentioned the operation was executed collectively with the Nationwide Drug Regulation Enforcement Company (NDLEA), underscoring the effectiveness of coordinated intelligence.
Comptroller Emmanuel Oshoba, Customs Space Controller for Apapa Port, revealed that the seizure was carried out as a part of a collaborative operation between the NCS and the Nationwide Drug Regulation Enforcement Company (NDLEA).
He emphasised that the motion aligns with the zero-compromise directive of the Comptroller-Normal of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, aimed toward stopping illegal commerce and safeguarding nationwide safety.
The seized cocaine was handed over to the Commander of the Apapa Strategic Command of NDLEA, who is anticipated to conduct a radical investigation to establish these accountable.
“What has occurred at the moment, is the result of profiling and intelligence led operations by the NCS and NDLEA. Our resolve to stop illegal commerce is refreshed day by day following the directives of the CGC. This seizure and detention of the ship ought to ship robust message of warning that ought to resonate within the camp of perpetrators of illegal commerce inside our port system,” Oshoba mentioned.
“As we method the Yuletide season, we is not going to sacrifice nationwide safety and economic system on the altar of commerce facilitation. All consignments exiting this port into our markets or warehouses should be duly examined with the contents ascertained to be what was declared,” he added.
Throughout ports in Nigeria, safety businesses and port enforcement groups have continued to uncover shipments of illicit medicine hid in containers and vessels.
These operations contain the Nigeria Customs Service, the Nationwide Drug Regulation Enforcement Company, and different safety models working to disrupt narcotics trafficking by way of the nation’s maritime corridors.
These circumstances illustrate the rising vigilance at Lagos ports, which stay key entry factors focused by worldwide drug trafficking networks, and reinforce the continued efforts to boost surveillance and cargo inspection nationwide.