The Nigeria Customs Service at its’ Seme area command, has through her operatives, made major interceptions of adulterated pharmaceutical drugs being smuggled into the country via the Seme axis.
The consignment of drugs seized include 1076 bottles of 100ml Morphine Sulfate, 94 bottles of 60ml Amodiaquine Suspension, 2,970 packages of Vermox, 390 packets by 1000 tablets of 100mg Mepacrine, 298 packets of 100mg Clofenac SR, 1,485 packages of 50mg Losartail Potassium and 499 packages of 400mg Virest 400 Aciclovir tablets.
During the parade of the suspects and seized items, the Controller of the Nigeria Customs Service at Seme area command, Dera Nnadi, said the items were unregistered and the actual duty paid value for them was N27, 861,538. Which is a loss for custom duties to the command and the country.
The seizure of the unregistered pharmaceuticals was made around 8:30am on May 9 ,2023 during a routine stop and search by men of the command. They were found concealed in a truck with registration number GL6663, belonging to a major conglomerate in the country.
The comptroller said that earlier preliminary investigation had revealed that the drugs were bound for Kaduna State through the FCT and this had established a strong nexus between the drugs and violent crimes in that part of the region. He brought to recollection, how on his assumption of office, fake currencies and fake international passports had been seized and thus, it was building up to a possible network of an illegal drug importation that funds insurgencies. This he said, is currently undergoing investigations through the collaboration of the Nigerian Customs Service and other security agencies. He said more details will be released upon approval in the course of the investigation. Insurgencies and other criminal activities in the Northern part of the country continue to be on the rise and most of the criminals are largely hooked on illegal drugs or unregistered and adulterated drugs. If not checked, this could lead to these high crimes moving closer to the Southern part of the country.
Although the seized drugs bore the names of licensed Nigerian companies, their movement into the country, makes it an intellectual property contravention. Also by NCS and NAFDAC laws, importing pharmaceutical products into the country without approval is not allowed.
Furthermore, he said five of the pharmaceutical products were expired.
Also,two suspects and 553 parcels of Cannabis Sativa seized on the 21st of April 2023 during patrols were handed over to the Seme Commander of the Nigerian Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Abubakar Wada, in line with directives from the Comptroller General of Nigerian Customs Service, Colonel Hameed Ali( rtd).
Nnadi said his agency will continue to fight smuggling and expose smugglers as the Nigerian Customs Service remains committed to protecting and safeguarding the country’s borders.
