NDLEA intercepts vessel from Brazil with 20 kg of cocaine, detains 20 Filipinos

International Seizures Nigeria Seizures

Posted by TGANB-Admin on 2025-11-01 07:05:18 |

Share: Facebook | Twitter | Whatsapp | Linkedin Visits: 2

---

On or around November 16, 2025, officers of the NDLEA operating at the Apapa Port in Lagos intercepted a shipment aboard the vessel MV Nord Bosporus (IMO 9760110) arriving from Brazil. The seizure involved 20 kg of cocaine concealed under the ship’s legitimate cargo.

Following the discovery, NDLEA detained the vessel’s master, Captain Quino Eugene Corpus, along with 19 other crew members — all Filipinos. The agency moved quickly to secure a court order: a federal high court in Lagos granted 14-day detention for the vessel and crew pending further investigation.

Officials described this as another clear demonstration of Nigeria’s heightened surveillance and enforcement capacity at sea. According to the NDLEA chairman, the interception sends a strong message to international cartels and domestic collaborators alike: Nigeria’s seaports are no longer safe routes for smuggling.

Given the vessel’s background — previously operating on coal-transport routes between Colombia and Brazil — authorities suspect it may have been repurposed temporarily for drug trafficking. The arrest and detention of a foreign crew highlight the global scope of trafficking networks and the cross-border cooperation needed to dismantle them.

Go!