The Apapa Area Command of the Nigeria Customs Service has punctured the plans of some unscrupulous merchants to push 143,800,000 tablets of Tramadol 225mg into the Nigerian market.
The Customs command uncovered the large quantity of the 225mg of tramadol tablets where they were concealed in two forty feet containers.
The 143,800,000 tablets of Tramadol 225mg were packed in 720 cartons weighing 10.3 (10.386kg).
The drugs originated from India.
The unprecedented single seizure is valued at N21,600,000,000.
The Customs command also collected a total sum of N212,592,680,700.99 as revenue between January and March this year.
Addressing the press on Tuesday, the Area Controller of the command, Compt. AB Mohammed averred that Customs functions of revenue generation and collection, suppression of smuggling and facilitating legitimate trade have been consistently implemented in the first quarter of year 2023.
The controller stressed that while he was meeting with various stakeholders and partner government agencies to ensure that the tempo of compliance is sustained and improved upon, the command stood forthright in foiling attempts at smuggling prohibited items into and out of the country.
Speaking on export trade, he hinted that the command processed agricultural goods such as sesame seeds, ginger, hibiscus, mineral resources, steel ingot and others with a total tonnage of 110,448 metric tonnes in the first quarter of 2023. Statistics from the export report shows that the exported goods are worth seventy billion, two hundred million, eight hundred and twenty-nine thousand, three hundred and fifty-eight naira, sixty-seven kobo (N70,200,829,358.67) which is equivalent to Free on Board (FOB) value of $159,845,232.84
Compt. Mohammed stated that the resolve of the command to enforce government fiscal policies and extant laws to ensure that all import and export consignments transiting through Apapa Port are duly examined has been strengthened through effective collaboration and timely sharing of credible intelligence with sister government agencies in the port.
He disclosed that within the period under review, the command made seizures of 14 containers comprising of prohibited items such as vegetable oil, foot wears, used clothing, unprocessed wood, and tramadol tablets with a Duty Paid Value of twenty-two billion, ninety-nine million, six hundred and eighteen thousand, one hundred and eleven naira (N22,099,618,111.00).
According to the controller,
the command is on the look-out for those behind such unlawful importation of the large chunk of Tramadol for arrest, assuring that the operatives of the command would soon track them down to face the full wrath of the law.
He said that Customs owe Nigerians the duty to prevent this kind of importation from entering the market to safeguard the health of the citizenry.
“Let me use this opportunity to warn perpetrators of smuggling, duty evasion and other forms of criminality frowned upon by the Customs and Excise Management Act (CEMA) and other extant laws, that Apapa Command will only facilitate legitimate trade,” he warned.