The Nigeria Customs Service’s Western Marine Command reported intercepting 103 sacks with 8,240 loaves of cannabis sativa and 23, 000 tablets of Tramadol 100 mg apiece along the Ibeju-Lekki waterways.
The Customs Area Controller, Odaudu Salefu, said this while turning over the seized drugs to agents of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency at the command in Ibafon, Apapa, Lagos, according to a statement issued by the command’s Public Relations Officer, Mailafiya Magaji, on Thursday.
The WMC of the NCS is the service’s primary marine formation tasked with securing the waterways.
He further stated that the drugs recovered had a duty-paid worth of N692 million, and that one wooden boat with two Yamaha Outboard Engines, each having 40 horsepower, was seized.
Salefu, according to the statement, said that the seizures were made following credible intelligence that a crime was about to be committed.
He said, “On Thursday, August 3, 2023, at about 0400hrs, the command, upon a follow-up on one of its numerous leads, received credible intelligence that a crime was about to be committed.
“Information reached the command that an attempt will be made to smuggle a large shipment of cannabis sativa into the country through our western waterways from a neighbouring country.
“The command immediately assembled a joint patrol team of marine patrol officers and set out towards the Ibeju Lekki Deep Sea Coastal Water where they intercepted and arrested one wooden boat with two Yamaha Outboard Engines (40hp each) loaded with 103 sacks of substances suspected to be cannabis sativa (marijuana).”
Salefu explained that the smugglers on sighting the patrol team abandoned the contrabands and jumped into the water.
He added that the seized 8,240 parcels of cannabis sativa weighed 3,811 kg.
The WMC boss explained that the inordinate quest by citizens to get rich by any means fuels the menace of smuggling.