Lagos: The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Federal Operations Unit (FOU) Zone ‘A’, says it intercepted 473 smuggling attempts and recovered 5.5 billion in Duty Paid Value (DPV) within eight weeks of intensified operations across the South-West.
Comptroller Gambo Aliyu disclosed this on Tuesday at a news conference in Ikeja and attributed the feat to enhanced surveillance, intelligence sharing and inter-agency collaboration.
Aliyu said that key seizures recorded between Feb. 3 and April 28 included 8,794 bags of 50kg foreign parboiled rice, equivalent to about 15 trailer loads.
He listed other seizures, stating that operatives confiscated 3,340 parcels of Cannabis Indica, popularly known as “Ghanaian Loud,” weighing 1,540kg, as well as 6.4kg of cocaine and methamphetamine, with an estimated street value of 2.35 billion Nigerian Naira (N2.35 billion).
He said operatives intercepted the hard drugs in a Toyota Highlander at the Elijah Bus Stop along the Lagos-Abidjan corridor.
He added, “Operatives also seized 22 used (Tokunbo) vehicles, 1,188 kegs of vegetable oil, 31,705 litres of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), 328 bales of used clothing and 485 used tyres.”
He continued, “Operatives also seized 1,863 used refrigerator compressors, 531 cartons of foreign poultry products, 69 cartons of foreign spaghetti and 24 bags of foreign sugar.”
The comptroller further reported that operatives uncovered four cylinders of high-grade mercury concealed in a Toyota Avensis at the Gbaji outpost.
