NDLEA Seizes 20kg Cocaine from Brazil-Bound Ship, Holds 20 Filipinos in Lagos

Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency intercepted a Brazil-bound vessel carrying 20 kilogrammes of cocaine at Apapa seaport in Lagos on Sunday, November 16. They discovered the drugs hidden under the ship’s cargo on the MV Nord Bosporus. The agency detained the captain, Quino Eugene Corpus, and 19 Filipino crew members for questioning.

A Federal High Court in Lagos granted an initial 14-day detention order for the ship and suspects on Thursday, November 20. Justice Musa Kakaki approved the motion in suit number FHC/L/MISC/1306/25. Early probes show the vessel made its first trip to Nigeria and Africa, having shuttled coal between Colombia and Brazil before.

The captain joined the ship just three months ago. Officials hailed the bust as evidence of sharper border vigilance. They stressed that no drug shipment, no matter how cleverly stashed, escapes detection.

NDLEA Chairman Brigadier General Buba Marwa warned international cartels and local helpers. “Nigeria is not, and will never be, your space or your foothold,” he declared. “The NDLEA operates with zero tolerance, and we will not permit any illicit drug to pass through our borders, whether by air, land, or sea.”

Marwa vowed tough penalties for Nigerians aiding foreign syndicates. The seizure echoes a May conviction of 10 Thai sailors for smuggling 32.9 kilogrammes of cocaine via the same port, where a court fined them $4.3 million. These hauls remind us of the quiet dangers lurking in global trade routes, preying on vulnerable communities far from the source.