The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Port and Terminal Multiservices Limited (PTML) Command, has intercepted a cocaine consignment worth N29.4 billion.
Area Controller of the Command, Comptroller Joe Anani, disclosed this to journalists at the port in Lagos on Tuesday.
Anani explained that the interception followed a report from the PTML terminal operator, who detected suspicious packages inside one of 39 empty containers awaiting export loading.
He said the 20-foot container, with serial number GCNU1332851, arrived from Freetown, Sierra Leone, and was flagged during a routine disinfection exercise.
“The terminal operator alerted the command immediately, and a joint examination was conducted alongside officers of the NDLEA, Department of State Services (DSS), Police Anti-Bomb Squad, and other agencies,” Anani said.
He stated that 50 packages containing 20 parcels each were uncovered during the inspection. Rapid tests confirmed the contents as cocaine, weighing a total of 1,000 kilograms (one tonne), with a duty paid value (DPV) of ₦29,403,738,000.
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“It is important to note that this container did not arrive in Nigeria as an import consignment. It was part of a batch of empty containers brought in by the terminal operator for export purposes,” he said.
The Customs chief described the incident as one of the most “mysterious cocaine interceptions” in the Service’s history, highlighting that no arrest had been made since the container had no consignee linked to it.”
Anani praised the PTML terminal operator for promptly reporting the anomaly and commended the collaboration between security agencies in handling the operation.
“This seizure underscores the high level of cooperation and vigilance among our officers, terminal operators, and sister security agencies,” he said.
He reaffirmed the Command’s commitment to protecting the integrity of Nigeria’s ports and ensuring that PTML remains a “no-go area” for prohibited imports and exports.
“On behalf of the Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, we will be handing over the seizure to the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) for further investigation and necessary action,” he said.
