The Nigeria Customs Service, Apapa Area Command, has intercepted three 40ft containers carrying 1.81 tonnes of Canadian cannabis and expired pharmaceutical products illegally brought into the country through Lagos Port Complex. The combined duty-paid value of the seizure is N12.8 billion.

The interception was carried out on Monday, June 15, 2026, in collaboration with the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency. Customs officers, acting on credible intelligence and using advanced risk assessment tools, examined a 40ft container marked CAAU7569127 and recovered 3,639 sachets of Cannabis Sativa, commonly called “Canadian Loud”. Each sachet weighed 500 grammes, giving a total of about 1,819 kilogrammes. Field tests confirmed the substance. The drugs were concealed inside a black Toyota Nissan vehicle, a Toyota Sienna, bags and drums.

In a related operation, the command also seized two 40ft containers, PCIU8771576 and MRKU4961275, loaded with expired pharmaceutical products with expiry dates ranging from 2021 to 2023. Customs said the importers planned to relabel the drugs and reintroduce them into the Nigerian market, posing serious health risks to consumers. The containers held items including Cidoxilin Capsules, Vitamin B12 Injection, Oxytocin Injection, Mexclor Eye Drops, Avomex Tablets, Carbamazepine Tablets and other medical products.

The Customs Area Controller, Comptroller Emmanuel Oshoba, said the seizures reflect the command’s improved capacity to detect and dismantle sophisticated smuggling networks targeting Nigeria’s seaports. He warned that unpatriotic importers and their collaborators involved in drug trafficking and importation of expired pharmaceuticals are enemies of national progress. Apapa Port and other Customs-controlled areas remain under constant surveillance, he added.

Sources: Vanguard, Tribune, National Moment.