Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have intercepted a commodity-laden vessel, MV Nord Bosporus (IMO 9760110), arriving from the port of Santos, Brazil, at Apapa seaport in Lagos.
A statement by the NDLEA Director of Media and Advocacy, Mr. Femi Babafemi, on Friday in Abuja, confirmed that 20 kilograms of cocaine were discovered buried under the ship’s cargo.
Babafemi noted that the seizure comes barely six months after 10 Thai sailors and their vessel were convicted and fined $4.3 million for smuggling 32.9kg of cocaine into Nigeria.
The illicit drug consignment was discovered on Sunday, November 16, by NDLEA officers. Following the seizure, the ship’s master and 19 other crew members, all Filipinos, were taken into custody for investigation.
“Following the arrest of the crew members, the agency filed an application for a court order to detain the vessel and the 20 Filipinos on board for further investigation,” Babafemi said.
The motion ex-parte, filed as FHC/L/MISC/1306/25, was argued before Justice Musa Kakaki of the Federal High Court, Lagos, who on Thursday, November 20, granted an initial 14-day detention of the vessel, Captain Corpus, and the 19 crew members.
Preliminary investigations revealed that this was the vessel’s first visit to Nigeria and Africa, having primarily transported coal between Colombia and Brazil. Captain Corpus had been on the ship for just three months.
Babafemi recalled a similar case on October 13, 2021, when 10 Thai sailors aboard MV Chayanee Naree were arrested for trafficking 32.9 kilograms of cocaine from Brazil through Apapa seaport, alongside nine Nigerian suspects. The sailors and vessel were later convicted on May 15, 2025, by a Federal High Court in Lagos and fined $4.3 million.
Reacting to the latest seizure, NDLEA Chairman Retired Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa commended personnel of the Apapa Strategic Command and the Directorate of Seaport Operations for their vigilance, diligence, and professionalism.
Marwa described the seizure as “not just an operational success but a clear demonstration of our heightened capacity and unwavering resolve.”
He warned transnational criminal organizations and their local collaborators:
“Nigeria is not, and will never be, your space or foothold. The NDLEA operates with zero tolerance and will not permit any illicit drugs to pass through our borders by air, land, or sea. Schemes and sophisticated concealment will fail.”
Marwa also reminded Nigerians who collaborate with foreign syndicates of the severe consequences of aiding and abetting drug trafficking:
“You are not just committing a crime; you are betraying your nation’s future. The NDLEA is committed to using the full force of the law to dismantle your structures, seize illicit assets, and secure long-term incarceration.”
