The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has uncovered 13 containers laden with expired pharmaceuticals, controlled drugs, security equipment and other prohibited goods at the Apapa Port.

The Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adeniyi, disclosed the seizures yesterday during a media briefing at APM Terminals, Apapa, in Lagos, describing the interceptions as the outcome of intensified intelligence-led enforcement backed by scanning technology and targeted physical examination of cargo.

He said the seized consignments included expired pharmaceutical products, such as Mixagrip Cold caplets, Ladinax tablets, chloroquine injections and diclofenac tablets.

Customs officers, according to him, also intercepted large quantities of Hyegra 200 and Sildenafil Citrate, as well as 800 cartons of codeine concealed inside toilet flushing cisterns and sanitary wares.

Other items recovered from the containers, he said, included cartons of artesunate injections, restricted security equipment, such as bulletproof vests, helmets, walkie-talkies and tactical torches, alongside several containers of expired food products, among others.

In another discovery, Customs officials found 1,700 cartons of codeine cough syrup hidden inside consignments of luxury food flasks, while a separate container held 1,575 cartons of CSMIX with codeine concealed among cartons of electric kettles.

The enforcement operation also led to the interception of 13 jumbo bags of cannabis sativa weighing 347.57 kilogrammes, concealed inside a Toyota Sienna vehicle.

Adeniyi said the cumulative value of the intercepted goods stood at N6.38 billion, warning that the importation of expired drugs and controlled substances poses grave risks to public health and national security.