Intercepts Illicit Drugs, Unregistered Pharmaceuticals Worth N37bn
Shola Fadeyi
The Tin Can Command of the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS) has collected a revenue of N1.046 trillion in about 10 months of 2024 , surpassing its revenue figure of N716.53 billion for the whole of 2023 by about N300 million and nearly meeting its N1.13 trillion revenue target for this year
The of Cannabis Indica weighing 341,025 kg with an estimated value of N682,050,000.00 .
The Command has also succeeded in impounding 16 containers of illicit drugs and unregistered pharmaceuticals worth N37 billion in Duty Paid Value(DPV), just about a month when it seized and handed over to the National Drugs Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) ,684 packets Area Controller Tin Can Command, Comptroller Dera Nnadi made the disclosure when he exhibited the seized containers to the Media in Lagos on Thursday.
He said that the Command is celebrating the revenue collection for the period for the fact that it was outstanding and unprecedented in the history of the Command, while he dedicated the revenue feat to the Comptroller General of Customs, Wale Adeniyi , and his management team, including the DCG Tariff and Trade , DCG Enforcement / Investigation and Inspection and the DCG ICT/Modernization.
Nnadi attributed the Command’s performance to the support of the Customs CG, the various reforms of the Command, to which the stakeholders have keyed into and the fact that more of them have now become compliant in duty payment.
He gave the list of drugs imported as Codeine-based products- Numerous shipments of cough syrups with codeine; Barcadin with Codeine, Broncleer with Codeine, and DSP with Codeine for throat and chesty cough (100ml, 200 bottles per carton).
Tapentadol & Carisoprodol: 420 cartons of Royal 225 (Tapentadol HVCL 125mg and Carisoprodol BP 100mg), Benzhexol Tablets: 200 cartons of 5mg Benzhexol Tablets (Brand: Trodal),Cannabis Indica: 77 packets (38.5kg), 532 packets (265.025kg), and 75 packets (37.5kg) and Diclofenac Sodium Tablets: Really Extra brand (50mg, 100 packs per carton).
Other goods, he said include Ceiling fans, Deluxe Chilli Cutters, stainless steel blenders, BiomalArtesunate Injection.
The Controller gave the names of the vessels which imported the goods as SpilKartika (Hapag Lloyd, voyage No. 2417W), Volana (Hapag Lloyd, voyage Nos. 2416W, 2421W), Maliako (Hapag Lloyd, voyage No. 2421W), WadiBani Khalid (Hapag Lloyd, voyage Nos. 2423W) and MSC Sweden VI and MSC Katyayni NY427A and the Countries of Origin:
He said Barcadin, Diclofenac Tablets, Benzhexol, CSP with Codeine were imported from India, BiomalArtesunate Injection from United Kingdom and Canabis Indica from Canada.
At the event , the Controller handed over 13 Containers of unregistered pharmaceutical products to Tramadol , they Include . 920 cartons in 2x40FT containers worth N23billion , Codeine – 1,894,600 bottles in 11x40FT containers worth N13billion and Cannabis Indica- 341kg in 3X40 containers worth N682 million.
He promised that the Command will deploy all necessary resources and strategies at its disposal and in collaboration with local and foreign partner security and regulatory agencies to check the menace of illegal importation of unregistered pharmaceutical products into the country.
The Controller reassured all the stakeholders that the Command will during the Yuletide partner with those who are compliant to ensure there are no delays in their cargo delivery, warning those who will not be compliant that the Command will enforce the requirements of its law against them.