The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has handed over illicit drugs and 57 cartons of codeine syrup, valued at N511.4 million, alongside two suspects and two vehicles, to the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) and the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) for further investigation and possible prosecution.
 
The seized drugs included 121 parcels of cannabis sativa weighing 65.9 kilogrammes, 100 grammes of crystal methamphetamine, 400 grammes of cocaine, 900 grammes of ground synthetic cannabis and 4.3 kilogrammes of hybrid cannabis. 
 
Customs officers also recovered 86 packs of polythene bags allegedly used to conceal the drugs.
 
The two vehicles, a Toyota Hiace bus and a Toyota Sienna, were intercepted in separate operations, with one male suspect arrested in connection with each incident.
 
Deputy Comptroller in charge of Enforcement, Oluwaseun Oguntuase, while speaking during the handover ceremony at the Federal Operations Unit (FOU), Zone A Headquarters in Ikeja, Lagos, said the seizures resulted from intelligence-led operations along border routes, highways and other strategic locations.
 
Oguntuase represented the Acting Comptroller of FOU Zone A, Oladapo Afeni.
 
He said the first interception occurred at about 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, October 10, 2026 when a patrol team, acting on intelligence, stopped a Toyota Hiace bus along the Lagos-Benin Expressway, around Ore, Ondo State.
 
The vehicle was conveying suspected illicit drugs concealed in polythene bags. 
 
According to the Customs, subsequent examination and analysis by the NDLEA officials confirmed the substances.
 
In another separate operation at about 2.07 p.m. on October 7, 2026, officers intercepted another vehicle along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway and discovered 57 cartons of assorted brands of codeine syrup.
 
Oguntuase, however, said that the handover reflected the Service’s commitment to working with relevant agencies to combat drug trafficking, smuggling of controlled substances and the circulation of unsafe pharmaceutical products.
 
He said the Customs would continue to strengthen its enforcement operations to protect public health, secure the nation’s borders and support national security.
 
Meanwhile, Deputy Commander of Narcotics, Ganiyu Bolaji, while receiving the drug exhibits, one of the suspects and a vehicle on behalf of the NDLEA, Lagos State Strategic Command, commended the Customs for its cooperation.
 
Bolaji gave the assurance that the agency would handle the exhibits and suspect in accordance with the law, adding that it would sustain efforts to curb the circulation of illicit drugs.
 
Similarly, Deputy Director of NAFDAC’s Pharmaceutical Division, Edith Josephs, who received the seized codeine syrup on behalf of the agency’s Directorate of Investigation and Enforcement, praised the Customs for the interception.
 
She pledged continued collaboration with the Service to tackle the circulation of illicit and substandard pharmaceutical products.