Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency have intercepted a commodity-laden vessel, MV Nord Bosporus, marked 9760110, from the port of Santos, Brazil, at the Apapa seaport in Lagos.

A statement by NDLEA on Friday in Abuja said that 20 kilograms of cocaine buried under its cargo was intercepted.

It said that the seizure came barely six months after 10 Thai sailors and their ship were convicted and fined $4.3 million for bringing 32.9kg of cocaine into Nigeria. It said that the illicit drug consignment was discovered on board the vessel on Sunday, November 16, by NDLEA officers.

NDLEA said that the operatives thereafter took the Master of the ship, and 19 other crew members, who were all Filipinos, into custody for investigation.

“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, November 20, granted the application for an initial 14-day 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. The Agency had, in a similar circumstance, arrested 10 sailors who are nationals of Thailand on October 13, 2021, on board a vessel named MV Chayanee Naree for trafficking 32.9 kilogrammes of cocaine from Brazil into Nigeria through the Apapa seaport.

“Nine Nigerian suspects were also arrested along with the Thai crew members. The 10 Thai sailors and the vessel were eventually convicted on Thursday, May 15, 2025, by a Federal High Court in Lagos presided over by Justice Daniel Osiagor, who also fined them $4.3 million,” the NDLEA said.

In his reaction to the latest significant seizure of 20kg of cocaine on board MV Nord Bosporus, the NDLEA chairman, Buba Marwa, commended the personnel of the agency’s command at Apapa. Mr Marwa also lauded operatives of the Directorate of Seaport Operations for their vigilance, diligence and professionalism.

He said that the cocaine seizure was not just an operational success but a clear demonstration of our heightened capacity and unwavering resolve, stating, “We will continue to tighten our grip on all entry and exit points, especially our seaports, which transnational criminal organisations have historically attempted to exploit.”

According to him, 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.

“The NDLEA is operating with zero tolerance, and we will not permit any illicit drug to pass through our borders, whether by air, land, or sea. You may scheme, you may attempt sophisticated concealment, but you will fail,” he stated. “Our intelligence network, collaboration with international partners, and the dedication of our officers are steps ahead of your nefarious activities.”

Mr Marwa added, “We are committed to using the full force of the law to dismantle your structures, seize your illicit assets, and secure your long-term incarceration.”

(NAN)