Apapa Customs Intercepts 1.8 Tonnes of ‘Canadian Loud’, Seizes Expired Drugs Worth N12.8bn
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Apapa Area Command, has recorded a major breakthrough in its campaign against transnational organised crime, illicit trade and threats to public health, intercepting 1.81 tonnes of Cannabis Sativa popularly known as “Canadian Loud” and confiscating two containers laden with expired pharmaceutical products.
The seizures, carried out through intelligence-led operations, have a combined Duty Paid Value (DPV) of N12.78 billion, underscoring what the Service described as a determined effort to protect the nation’s economy and prevent harmful products from reaching Nigerians.
According to a statement issued on Tuesday by the Public Relations Officer of the Apapa Area Command, Chief Superintendent of Customs Isah Sulaiman, the anti-smuggling successes were achieved through actionable intelligence, advanced risk assessment techniques and collaboration with other security and regulatory agencies.
The statement disclosed that officers of the command, working in conjunction with the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), intercepted a 40-foot container with registration number CAAU7569127 on Monday, June 15, 2026, at about noon.
Inside the container, Customs officers discovered 3,639 sachets of Cannabis Sativa, commonly referred to as “Canadian Loud”, each weighing 500 grammes, bringing the total quantity to approximately 1,819 kilogrammes, or 1.81 tonnes. Preliminary field tests confirmed that the substance was Cannabis Sativa.
Investigations revealed that the narcotics had been carefully concealed inside a black Toyota Nissan vehicle and a Toyota Sienna, alongside several bags and drums packed within the container.
The Command said the interception demonstrated its growing capacity to identify and dismantle sophisticated smuggling syndicates seeking to exploit the nation’s maritime gateways.
The examination of the container was conducted jointly with relevant security and regulatory agencies.
In a separate operation, the Command also intercepted two 40-foot containers carrying expired pharmaceutical products that had been illegally imported into the country.
Physical examination of the consignments showed that the drugs had expired between 2021 and 2023, with indications that the importers intended to relabel them and reintroduce them into the Nigerian market.
Customs warned that such actions posed serious health risks to unsuspecting consumers and could have resulted in harmful and ineffective medications finding their way into hospitals, pharmacies and households across the country.
One of the containers, bearing number PCIU8771576, contained expired Cidoxilin Capsules, Cynamine Vitamin B12 Injection and Becoline B-Complex Injection.
The second container, with number MRKU4961275, was found to contain a range of expired medical products, including Oxytocin Injection, Mexclor Eye Drops, Avomex Tablets, Carbamazepine Tablets, Silymarin Tablets, Nystatin Tablets and Hyoscine Butylbromide Tablets.
Customs authorities described the seizures as evidence of attempted economic sabotage and reiterated the Service’s commitment to safeguarding public health and national security through intelligence-driven enforcement.
The statement noted that the successes recorded by the Apapa Area Command were anchored on strategic intelligence gathering, profiling, data analysis and collaboration with stakeholders.
It added that the Command remained committed to deploying modern enforcement techniques to target high-risk consignments while facilitating legitimate trade in line with the Federal Government’s Ease of Doing Business policy.
Commenting on the development, the Customs Area Controller of the Apapa Area Command, Comptroller Emmanuel Oshoba, warned smugglers, drug traffickers and those involved in the importation of expired drugs to abandon such activities.
According to him, those engaging in such practices were enemies of Nigeria’s progress and would face the full weight of the law.
“We have the intelligence, the technology and the resolve to identify and apprehend them. Anyone still contemplating these criminal acts should immediately desist, because the consequences will be swift, decisive and uncompromising. Apapa Port will not be used as a conduit for economic sabotage and public health endangerment,” Oshoba said.
He further stressed that Apapa Port and all Customs-controlled areas remained under constant surveillance, assuring Nigerians that officers of the Command were resolute in defending the economy, protecting public health and preventing criminal exploitation of the country’s borders.
The Customs Area Controller also reaffirmed the Command’s determination to intensify intelligence-driven operations aimed at protecting lives, facilitating legitimate trade and strengthening national security.
