Seme Customs Busts Smuggling Rings, Seizes Mercury, Foreign Coins and Drugs in April Crackdown

Seme Customs Busts Smuggling Rings, Seizes Mercury, Foreign Coins and Drugs in April Crackdown

Seme, Lagos — May 15, 2025

The Seme Area Command of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has intensified its anti-smuggling operations with several major interceptions, including mercury canisters suspected to be part of an improvised explosive device (IED), large quantities of foreign currency coins, and hundreds of parcels of Cannabis Sativa.

Area Controller, Comptroller Ben Oramalugo, disclosed this while addressing journalists at the command’s headquarters on Wednesday. He said the Command's operatives, acting on credible intelligence, intercepted a red Toyota Avensis on May 9, 2025, along the Badagry-Lagos Expressway. The vehicle was found to be transporting six canisters of corrosive mercury hidden beneath cartons of the Holy Qur’an. One suspect was arrested in connection with the seizure.

In another operation on March 28, 2025, officers on routine stop-and-search duty intercepted a fleeing motorcyclist suspected of smuggling along Owode Road. A bag abandoned by the suspect was found to contain thousands of foreign coins, including 1,048 pieces of one-pound coins and 49 pieces of two-dollar coins, among others.

Similarly, on April 1, operatives intercepted a Mazda vehicle loaded with more foreign coins, totaling a seizure value of over N48.9 million. Comptroller Oramalugo explained that the coins fall under Item 18 of Schedule 4 of the Common External Tariff (CET), which prohibits the importation of “silver or metal alloy coins not being legal tender in Nigeria.”

In a separate seizure, the Command confiscated 553 parcels of Cannabis Sativa, 1,415 bags of foreign parboiled rice, 750 kegs of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), unregistered pharmaceuticals, and other contraband items. The total Duty Paid Value (DPV) of all seizures during the period was put at N669.7 million.

Highlighting the Command’s inter-agency collaboration, Oramalugo said the intercepted drugs and unregistered pharmaceuticals have been handed over to the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) and the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) for further investigation and prosecution.

“These seizures underscore our commitment to national security and the protection of the economy from sabotage,” he said.

Meanwhile, on revenue generation, the Command recorded N847 million in April 2025 alone, while also facilitating over 88,036 metric tonnes of made-in-Nigeria goods through the export of 2,029 trucks. The exported goods had a Free On Board (FOB) value of N16.9 billion, and the Command generated N84.5 million in National Export Supervision Scheme (NESS) fees.

Comptroller Oramalugo also used the occasion to warn the public against fraudsters impersonating Customs officers to promote fake auction sales on social media. He emphasized that all official auction processes are communicated via verified NCS channels.

He commended his officers and men for their dedication, and urged border community leaders to discourage their youths from aiding smugglers or obstructing law enforcement efforts.

“The Command will not be distracted by mischief-makers or false narratives. We remain focused on our core mandate of trade facilitation, revenue generation, and suppression of smuggling in the national interest,” he said.