FOU Nabs Man With N28m Indian Hemp

The Federal Operations Unit, Zone ‘A’ of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) says it has intercepted 33.3kilogrammes of Indian hemp with a street value of over N28million at  Gbaji  checkpoint along Seme-Badagry Road.

The Acting Controller,  Victor Dimka, a deputy controller,  told newsmen that  the suspect was in a commercial bus when his men stopped the bus for a routine check.

“The culprit was riding in a commercial bus and when the officers stopped the bus for a routine check, they discovered that the man was sitting on it and when he was questioned, he was jittering and by our training he was asked to come down with what he was carrying. They asked him what he was carrying and he was murmuring.

On examination they discovered it was Indian hemp. Preliminary investigation was made, we got him detained and handed him over to the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA),” Dimka stated

The command also arrested some trucks loaded with alleged fake malaria drugs worth N36million along Lagos- Benin Road.

The suspects, according to him, have been handed over to NAFDAC while investigation is on to uncover those involved in the act.

Dimka pointed out that although smugglers have resorted to bringing contrabands through the creeks, the Customs  will continue to monitor the creeks and improve on its information gathering.

Other items intercepted include pirated compact discs, fake cosmetics, travelling bags and textile materials among others.

The command  recorded 557 seizures between January and February with two persons convicted.

—Esther Komolafe