The CAC of the KLT Command of the NCS Comptroller Swomen fielding questions from news hunters this morning.
Story by Dili Utomi.
The Customs Area Controller of the Kirikiri Lighter Terminal Command of the Nigeria Customs Service, Comptroller Hammi Swomen this morning indicated that the Command while working in collaboration with sister agencies seized two 40ft containers carrying prohibited items. He indicated that the process of shared intelligence between them, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), the National Agency for Food, Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC) and other agencies within and around the Ports yielded the discovery of different types of unregistered medicaments that were marked ‘for export only’.
The seized cartons of drugs and manual blenders on display.
Among the pharmaceutical products seized and that were on display were 2,875 cartons of cough syrup containing Codein and 383 cartons of Hyergra aphrodisiac as well as 99 cartons of little grinding machine (manual blender).
The CAC indicated that what was manifested was hot pots which is a kind of vacuum flask and which of course is wrong, false and dishonest declaration.
The source of the drugs is said to be India.
The duty paid value of the seized items is put at Two Hundred and Twelve Million, Seven Hundred and Seventy Seven Thousand, Nine Hundred and Fifty Naira (#N212,777,950.00) only.
Comptroller Swomen clarified that there was no approval whatsoever for the items by any of the approving agencies of government either for the importation or registration of any of the seized items.
CAC Swomen going through some of the seizures.
It is a well known truth that many of the youths as well as adults within the different strata of the Nigerian society are now engaging in the abuse of substances and that the market for these substances has become extremely lucrative, hence the desperate bid by unscrupulous persons to cash in on the rather unfortunate situation to make a lot of money for themselves.
In a question and answer session, CAC Swomen indicated that this is by far the largest haul of seized pharmaceuticals in terms of value by his Command since his resumption of office. On the question of if there is any contact with the embassies of some of the countries where these and other psychotropic substances originate from, the CAC said that because of the collaboration with sister agencies, the agencies do have such contact with the relevant embassies and do share any intelligence that has been gathered from such route.
He called for continued collaboration with all sister agencies as he thanked the media and the general public for the credible and useful information that they give to the Command.
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