The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has intercepted 20 kilograms of cocaine aboard the Brazil-bound vessel MV Nord Bosporus (IMO 9760110) at Apapa seaport in Lagos.
The cocaine was discovered hidden under the ship’s cargo on Sunday, November 16, 2025. Following the seizure, NDLEA detained the vessel’s Master, Captain Quino Eugene Corpus, and 19 Filipino crew members.
NDLEA spokesperson Femi Babafemi said the agency obtained a court order to hold the vessel and crew for further investigation.
“The motion ex parte in suit number FHC/L/MISC/1306/25 was heard before Justice Musa Kakaki of the Federal High Court, Lagos, who on Thursday, November 20, 2025, approved an initial 14-day detention of the vessel, Captain Corpus, and the 19 Filipino crew members,” Babafemi stated.
Preliminary investigations revealed that the MV Nord Bosporus was visiting Nigeria and Africa for the first time. The vessel has mostly transported coal between Colombia and Brazil, and Captain Corpus has been with the ship for just three months.
The latest interception comes six months after 10 Thai sailors aboard the MV Chayanee Naree were convicted for attempting to smuggle 32.9 kilograms of cocaine from Brazil through the same port. The Federal High Court in Lagos fined the sailors and the vessel $4.3 million on May 15, 2025.
NDLEA Chairman Brigadier General Buba Marwa (retd.) praised the Apapa Command and the Directorate of Seaport Operations for the operation, describing it as a demonstration of the agency’s increasing capacity to secure Nigeria’s borders.
Marwa warned international drug cartels and local collaborators that Nigeria would not serve as a transit point for illicit drugs. “The NDLEA operates with zero tolerance. You may attempt sophisticated concealment, but you will fail,” he said.
He also cautioned Nigerians working with foreign drug syndicates, noting that they would face severe legal consequences.
Between January 2023 and March 2024, NDLEA seized a total of 207,976 kilograms of hard drugs across Nigerian seaports. In the first quarter of 2024, 14 suspects were arrested with 16.69 kilograms of cocaine and 11,622.229 kilograms of cannabis sativa, while 167 people were apprehended with 196,336.99 kilograms of various drugs from January to October 2023.