By Steve Agbota
The Nigeria Customs Service, Federal Operations Unit, Zone ‘C’ (FOUC), yesterday said it arrested six suspects and intercepted unregistered pharmaceutical products including tramadol as well as other contraband goods with a Duty Paid Value of N529,056,456 million between January 1 and February 28, 2022. The FOUC Comptroller, Mr Ali Ibrahim, who stated this while showcasing the seized items in Owerri, said that the six suspects were arrested during the period under review and they had been granted administrative bail.
He also said that 640 cartons of unregistered pharmaceuticals worth N192 million, conveyed in a DAF heavy duty truck and one J5 transit bus were intercepted along the Okada/Benin axis. He added that 1,650 bales of used clothing valued at N165 million were intercepted along the Umuikaa/Aba road while 181 50kg bags of foreign parboiled rice worth over N7.2 million were intercepted along the Akwa-Ibom/Calabar axis.
“Also intercepted were 2,239 pieces of used pneumatic tyres valued at N4.5 million and 36,000 litres of smuggled petroluem products concealed in polyethylene bags, worth N3.6 million.
“Similarly eight exotic vehicles without relevant customs documents including three Toyota Hilux of 2017, 2020 and 2021 models; one Land Cruiser Prado 2016 model; one Toyota Highlander 2014 and one Toyota Venza 2016 model among others,” he added.