Cameroonian customs officials have made a record seizure of 2,491 kilograms of narcotics at Douala International Airport last week. The estimated value of this seizure is FCFA 50 billion.
According to customs authorities, the shipment was in illegal transit when it was intercepted. The volume and market value of the seized products make this operation one of the most significant ever recorded in Cameroon in the fight against drug trafficking.
The Minister of Finance, Louis Paul Motazé, accompanied by the Minister of Public Health, visited the customs services to assess the nature and extent of the seizure. According to Motazé, this seizure includes 1,057 kg of cocaine from Germany and 1,434 kg of tramadol shipped from India and South Sudan. He stressed that this seizure will prevent approximately 27 million tramadol tablets from entering the domestic market, highlighting the public health and social risks associated with drug abuse.
This operation is presented as a strong signal in strengthening border surveillance and combating cross-border trafficking of drugs and other prohibited products. Customs officials described the case as a record seizure at Douala airport, surpassing the interception of 200 kg of cocaine in July 2025. Since 2016, seizures have increased at Douala and Yaoundé-Nsimalen airports, partly due to the deployment of airport anti-trafficking units, known by their French acronym CAAT.
Investigations are ongoing to dismantle the networks behind this trafficking and identify those who ordered the operation.
