Maritime
Customs Impounds Two Boats Laden With Cannabis, Arrests Six Suspects
The Western Marine Command of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has intercepted and impounded two wooden boats laden with 147 sacks of Cannabis sativa.
The service also arrested six suspects in connection with the crime.
It said the wooden boats were intercepted at Ibeche Beach along the Badagry lagoon, Lagos.
Handing over the substances and six suspects to officials of the Nigeria Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Customs Area Controller, Comptroller Olugboyega Peters said, “We are today handing these items with the six suspects over to the representative of NDLEA in line with established corporation and national interest”.
He assured that the custom would leave nothing to chance in ensuring that no illegitimate trade was allowed to ply the command’s operational territory.
Equally handed over to NDLEA was 6,615Kg at 45kg per sack of the substances with a total Duty Paid Value (DPV) of Six Hundred and Ninety Four Million Five Hundred and Seventy Five Thousand Naira (¦ 694, 575,000.00).
Peters appealed to NDLEA to allow Customs men witness the destruction of the seized marijuana for record purposes.
“I urge the NDLEA to invite us during the destruction of this marijuana and a copy of certificate of destruction issued to the NCS for statistical and record keeping”, he said.
Earlier, Apapa Seaport Special Area Commander of NDLEA, Samuel Bashir Gadzama, thanked the NCS for its fight against drug running and its immense support for the anti-drug agency.
He promised that the agency would continue with investigation in a bid to stretch its search for all those involved in the illegitimate trade and bring them to book.
“The Chairman of NDLEA, Maj. Gen. Mohammed Buba Marwa (retired), has made it explicitly clear that Nigeria will no longer serve as transit route for illegal drug business. We are very happy with the support we have been receiving from the Customs and this Customs Marine Command.”
“We are not going to stop at just receiving these substances, we will carry out further investigation, we want to know everyone involved in the chain, so that we can have them arrested and prosecuted,” Gadzama said.