NDLEA intercepts cocaine from Brazil, detains vessel, crew members
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has intercepted a vessel laden with 20 kilogrammes of cocaine at the Apapa seaport in Lagos. According to a statement by the Agency’s spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, the vessel, MV Nord Bosporus, marked 9760110, arrived from the port of Santos in Brazil. The development comes barely six months after […]
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The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has intercepted a vessel laden with 20 kilogrammes of cocaine at the Apapa seaport in Lagos.
According to a statement by the Agency’s spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, the vessel, MV Nord Bosporus, marked 9760110, arrived from the port of Santos in Brazil.
The development comes barely six months after 10 Thai sailors and their ship were convicted and fined $4.3million for bringing 32.9kg cocaine into Nigeria
The illicit drug consignment was discovered on board the vessel last Sunday by NDLEA officers who thereafter took the Master of the ship, Captain Quino Eugene Corpus and 19 other crew members who are all Filipinos into custody for investigation.
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The statement added that following the seizure and arrest of the crew members, the Agency filed an application for an order of court for the detention of the vessel and the 20 Filipinos on board for further investigation.
The motion ex-parte in suit number FHC/L/MISC/1306/25 was argued before Justice Musa Kakaki of the Federal High Court, Lagos, who on Thursday granted the application for an initial 14 days detention of the vessel, Capt. Corpus and 19 other Filipino crew members.
Preliminary investigation revealed that this was the first time the vessel was coming to Nigeria and Africa as it’s been largely transporting coal between Colombia and Brazil while Captain Corpus has been barely three months with the ship.
Babafemi recalled that the Agency had in a similar circumstance arrested 10 sailors who are nationals of Thailand on 13th October 2021 on board a vessel named MV Chayanee Naree for trafficking 32.9 kilograms of cocaine from Brazil into Nigeria through the Apapa seaport.
He said nine Nigerian suspects were also arrested along with the Thai crew members.
According to him, the 10 Thai sailors and the vessel were eventually convicted on Thursday 15th May 2025 by a Federal High Court in Lagos presided over by Justice Daniel Osiagor who also fined them $4.3 million.
In his reaction to the latest seizure of 20kg cocaine on board MV Nord Bosporus, Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig Gen Mohamed Buba Marwa (rtd), commended the officers, men and women of the Apapa Strategic Command of the Agency as well as the Directorate of Seaport Operations for their vigilance, diligence and professionalism.
Marwa said the cocaine seizure is not just an operational success but “a clear demonstration of our heightened capacity and unwavering resolve. ”