The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has intercepted a significant shipment of cocaine aboard a Brazilian vessel at the Apapa seaport in Lagos.
The vessel, MV Nord Bosporus (IMO: 9760110), arriving from the port of Santos, Brazil, was found carrying no less than 20 kilograms of the Class A drug hidden within its cargo.
The seizure, which took place on Sunday, 16 November 2025, led to the arrest of the ship’s Master, Captain Quino Eugene Corpus, and 19 other crew members, all of whom are Filipinos.
Following the arrest, the Agency filed for a court order to detain both the vessel and the crew for further investigation.
Justice Musa Kakaki of the Federal High Court, Lagos, granted a 14-day detention on Thursday, 20 November 2025.
Preliminary investigations indicate that this was the vessel’s first voyage to Nigeria and Africa.
It has primarily been transporting coal between Colombia and Brazil. Captain Corpus has been with the ship for only three months.
This seizure comes nearly six months after the conviction of 10 Thai sailors, who were fined $4.3 million for bringing 32.9 kilograms of cocaine into Nigeria via the MV Chayanee Naree in 2021.
NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brigadier General Mohamed Buba Marwa (rtd), praised the agency’s officers for their vigilance, calling the seizure “a clear demonstration of our heightened capacity and unwavering resolve.”
He emphasized that Nigeria will not serve as a foothold for international drug cartels, warning both foreign syndicates and local collaborators that the Agency will operate with zero tolerance.
“Let this be an unambiguous message to every international drug cartel and every internal collaborator: Nigeria is not, and will never be, your space or your foothold,” Marwa stated.
He also cautioned Nigerians against aiding foreign drug syndicates, stressing that the consequences would be “severe and unrelenting.”
The NDLEA continues to strengthen its surveillance and intelligence operations to curb the inflow of illicit drugs into the country.
