The Nigeria Customs Service has intercepted three truck carrying over 5,040 cartons of Angel sparkling red grade wine falsely declared to be carrying industrial salt and two 40 feet containers with bales of new clothing materials with a total Duty Paid Value of N143,200,00.

It was gathered that containers were disguised as agricultural products adding that each container had 24 pallets while each carton had 6 bottles of the red grape wines in it.

“If the drinks were brought with this country in such a great quantity, most of the local companies producing red wine in Nigeria will go moribund”, Olusemire added.

Briefing journalists in Owerri, the Imo State capital, on Friday, the Customs Area Controller, Comptroller Kayode Olusemire said that the consignments in the containers were packaged like second-hand clothing.

He added that there were up to 1,430 jumbo bails and that each of them contained 1,200 dozens of clothing.

He disclosed that new pants, bra and shots formed the bulk of what was used to package the bails, adding that since Customs stopped the activities of smugglers on rice, they (smugglers) had shifted towards another style of bails smuggling.

He said,

“They (smugglers) falsely declared the consignments in the container to enable them evade payment of duty on them. They also said that the cartons of wine were concealed by industrial salt to avoid the duty payable on them”.

Olusemire said that the drinks were banned from gaining entrance into the country, just as he said that its ban was to ensure nation’s economic security.

He stated that one arrest was made and added that the seizure attracted hoodlums to attack the officers and men of the NCS Zone “C” Owerri.

Olusemire however, said that they were arrested on the road and on the way to Aba, the commercial hub of Abia state.

“We are ready to do our work now and we cannot spare any smuggler, who wants to ridicule the mandate for which Nigeria Customs Service was established. I want at this juncture to tell them that the borders security is tightened up now and we are proud to do the work for which we were engaged.