Ouagadougou: The General Directorate of Customs unveiled several shipments of seized goods, including explosives, cyanide, and food unfit for consumption, during a comprehensive national control operation.
According to Burkina Information Agency, the Director General of Customs, Yve Kafando, reported that these operations spanned approximately three months and successfully removed numerous dangerous goods from the market that violated existing regulations. “We have seized highly sensitive items, including explosives, detonators, and rolls of detonating wire,” Kafando stated, highlighting the significant threat these goods posed to national security.
In response to the potential dangers, the General Directorate has engaged the Military Engineering Corps to handle the secure destruction of these items. The Deputy Director of Military Engineering, Lieutenant Colonel Tedono Aristide Alira, expressed appreciation for the collaboration with customs, emphasizing that such seizures are crucial in combating terrorism. “These items could have been used to manufacture improvised explosive devices. Their removal from the circuit is a relief for our defense forces and for the civilian population,” Alira remarked, noting that the army will destroy the stocks following established procedures.
Additionally, customs officials confiscated 267 bags of cyanide concealed in a rice truck, alongside shipments of frozen chicken and fresh food brought in through illegal channels. Kafando underscored the health risks these goods pose, asserting that they cannot be tolerated in the country. He mentioned that the National Public Health Laboratory (LNSP) will analyze the food products to ascertain their safety for consumption. Fit products will be sold following judicial approval, while those found unfit or prohibited will be destroyed.
Concluding, the Director General of Customs commended the vigilance of the surveillance units and urged continued diligence to safeguard the population and maintain a clean national market.