KEY POINTS

• The Customs authorities discovered $193,000 worth of concealed funds concealed inside a single yogurt carton.
• Travellers faces penalties when they fail to inform authorities about any amount of money that exceeds $10,000.
• The agency transferred the monetary funds to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission for their investigation process.

The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) Customs intercepts $193,000 hidden inside a yogurt container at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja.

The security operation took place on March 20 when officers performed their regular baggage examination after receiving valid intelligence.

Customs intercepts using intelligence to uncover smuggled funds

Comptroller Olumide Adebisi of Customs Area Controller identified the suspect Kamilu Sarina at age 40 as someone who arrived from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on Ethiopian Airlines Flight No. 951. Customs officers applied previous intelligence which led them to inspect Sarina’s belongings until they found hidden cash in the yogurt carton.

Legal implications of undeclared funds

The Customs Area Controller Comptroller Olumide Adebisi pointed out the $193,000 went against both the Anti-Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act 2022 and the Nigeria Customs Service Act 2023.

The law establishes a rule that all travelers must announce possession of funds bigger than $10,000 or any equivalent currency-based instruments.

The failure to inform authorities about undeclared funds may produce both the loss of the money and imprisonment as punishments.

The advance scanning technology discovered unauthorized funds hidden inside Sarina’s luggage which resulted in the detection of those secret assets.

Further inspection of the funds occurred after the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) received the money.