The Nigeria Customs Service, Apapa Area Command, has intercepted two containers of expired pharmaceutical products and 1.8 tonnes of Cannabis sativa in a series of coordinated, intelligence-led operations at the nation’s busiest seaport.

According to the Command, the seizures followed weeks of surveillance and collaboration with the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency and other regulatory agencies, using enhanced risk-profiling systems to track suspicious consignments.

Customs officers first uncovered two 40-foot containers loaded with expired medicines allegedly destined for illegal relabelling and reintroduction into the Nigerian market. The Command put the combined Duty Paid Value of the intercepted pharmaceuticals at N12.78 billion, describing the shipment as a grave act of economic sabotage and a direct threat to public health.

Investigators say the expired drugs were carefully packed and documented in a manner designed to evade detection, suggesting the involvement of a well-organised network. Regulatory agencies are expected to conduct further analysis to determine the exact composition and potential health risks of the products.

In a separate operation, officers seized another 40-foot container, numbered CAAU7569127, which concealed a large consignment of high-grade Cannabis sativa, popularly known on the streets as Canadian loud. Inside the container, operatives discovered 3,639 sachets of the drug, each weighing 500 grammes, for a total of about 1,819 kilogrammes.

Preliminary field tests confirmed the substance as Cannabis sativa. The drugs were hidden inside a black Nissan vehicle, a Toyota Sienna, and further stashed in bags and drums arranged to disguise the true nature of the cargo.

Apapa Area Controller, Comptroller Emmanuel Oshoba, condemned the activities of the syndicates behind the shipments, labelling them enemies of Nigeria’s progress. He warned that importers and their collaborators involved in smuggling, drug trafficking and the importation of expired pharmaceuticals would face severe consequences.

Oshoba stressed that Apapa Port and all Customs-controlled areas remain under constant surveillance, with enforcement operations increasingly driven by intelligence and technology. He added that while the Command is tightening security and scrutiny at the port, it remains committed to facilitating legitimate trade and protecting compliant businesses from unnecessary delays.