Nigeria Customs Seizes Cocaine, Contraband Worth 7.85B+ Naira

Nigeria Customs Service operatives from the Federal Operations Unit Zone A have seized cocaine worth 2.35 billion naira along with other contraband valued at more than 5.5 billion naira across southwest Nigeria, arresting several suspects including a 71-year-old man.

Comptroller Gambo Aliyu announced the interceptions during a handover ceremony in Lagos on Tuesday, where the items were transferred to the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency for further investigation and prosecution. The cocaine, totaling 6.35 kilograms including 2.3 kilograms of powder and 4.05 kilograms of crack, was found concealed in a Toyota Highlander driven by the suspect along the Lagos-Abidjan smuggling corridor. Operatives stopped the vehicle at the Gbaji outpost after acting on intelligence.

The seizures form part of Operation Hawk, a targeted initiative to disrupt narcotics networks. Under the operation, officers confiscated 3,340 parcels of synthetic cannabis known as Ghana Loud, weighing 1,540 kilograms. Additional contraband included four 80-kilogram cylinders of mercury, a hazardous substance regulated under the Minamata Convention, explosives, petrol, 8,794 bags of foreign rice, 22 used vehicles,...