- NDLEA intercepts 20kg of cocaine concealed in a vessel arriving from Brazil.
- The drugs were found buried under cargo at Apapa seaport during a routine search.
- The vessel’s captain and 19 Filipino crew members are now in custody for investigation.
- NDLEA has secured a court order to detain the ship and its crew pending further action.
Nigeria’s anti-narcotics agency, the NDLEA, has recorded a significant bust after intercepting a vessel loaded with 20 kilogrammes of cocaine at the Apapa seaport in Lagos. The seizure was disclosed on Friday by the agency’s spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, who confirmed that the ship, MV Nord Bosporus, sailed in from Santos, Brazil, a route long monitored for high-risk drug shipments.
According to Babafemi, NDLEA operatives uncovered the class A substance on Sunday, 16 November 2025. The cocaine was buried discreetly beneath the vessel’s cargo, a tactic often used by trafficking networks attempting to slip drugs into the country undetected.
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Following the discovery, the vessel’s master, Captain Quino Eugene Corpus, as well as 19 Filipino crew members, were immediately detained. The NDLEA has begun thorough investigations to determine the level of involvement and possible connections to international trafficking rings.
To strengthen its hold on the evidence and secure proper legal grounds, the agency filed an ex-parte application before Justice Musa Kakaki of the Federal High Court in Lagos. The application, under suit number FHC/L/MISC/1306/25, seeks authorization for the continued detention of the vessel and its crew while investigations continue.
The interception underscores the NDLEA’s intensified surveillance of Nigeria’s entry points and its ongoing efforts to disrupt drug smuggling operations exploiting the country’s maritime routes.
