The Western Marine Command of the Nigeria Customs Service said it had intercepted 103 sacks containing 8,240 loaves of cannabis sativa and 23, 000 capsules of Tramadol 100 mg each along the Ibeju-Lekki waterways.
In a statement on Thursday by the command’s Public Relations Officer, Mailafiya Magaji, the Customs Area Controller, Odaudu Salefu, disclosed this while handing over the seized drugs to officers of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency at the command in Ibafon, Apapa, Lagos.
The WMC of the NCS is the foremost marine formation of the service, saddled with the duties of guarding the waterways.
He also said that the seized drugs had a duty-paid value of N692 million, adding that one wooden boat with two Yamaha Outboard engines, each with 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 0400 hours, 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 neighboring 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 (40 hp each) loaded with 103 sacks of substances suspected to be cannabis sativa (marijuana).”
Salefu explained that the smugglers, upon sighting the patrol team, abandoned the contraband 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 of citizens to get rich by any means fuels the menace of smuggling.
