The Nigeria Customs Service, Seme Area Command, has intensified its anti-smuggling operations, intercepting illicit drugs, unregistered pharmaceuticals and other prohibited goods valued at over ₦501 million within the last three months.

The Customs Area Controller, Abdullahi Kaila, disclosed this during a press briefing held on Monday at the Command headquarters in Seme.

Kaila said the seizures were made through coordinated intelligence-driven operations targeting smuggling networks along Nigeria’s border corridors.

According to him, the intercepted items include 1,000 parcels of Cannabis Sativa, alongside unregistered pharmaceutical products such as codeine-based cough syrups and sexual enhancement drugs that were brought into the country without approval from the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control.

He added that the Command also seized large quantities of contraband goods, including 2,000 bags of foreign parboiled rice, 340 kegs of vegetable oil, 103 kegs of Premium Motor Spirit, 993 cartons of spaghetti, and 250 bales of used clothing.

“These seizures underscore our zero-tolerance stance against smuggling and reaffirm our determination to protect the nation’s economy while enforcing compliance with extant import and export regulations,” Kaila said.

The Customs chief warned smugglers and their collaborators to steer clear of the border areas, noting that surveillance had been strengthened across both land and maritime routes to curb cross-border criminal activities.

He stressed that compliance remains the most secure and cost-effective option for legitimate trade operations.

Following the seizures, the illicit drugs and pharmaceutical products were handed over to the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency and NAFDAC for further investigation and regulatory action.

Officials of both agencies commended the Customs Service for its continued collaboration in tackling drug trafficking and the circulation of unsafe medicines, describing the seizures as a boost to public health protection and national security efforts.