The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency has intercepted 20 kilograms of cocaine concealed on a Brazil-bound vessel, MV Nord Bosporus, at the Apapa seaport in Lagos.
The ship, its master and 19 other Filipino crew members were detained following a court order secured by the Agency.
According to information from the NDLEA, officers discovered the cocaine on Sunday, 16 November 2025, on board the vessel, which arrived from the port of Santos in Brazil.
The Master of the ship, Captain Quino Eugene Corpus, alongside the 19 Filipino crew members, was immediately taken into custody pending further investigation.
Court approval for detention
Following the seizure, the Agency filed a motion ex-parte before Justice Musa Kakaki of the Federal High Court, Lagos.
The court, in suit number FHC/L/MISC/1306/25, granted an initial 14-day detention order for the vessel, the captain and the 19 crew members on Thursday 20 November 2025.
Investigators found that MV Nord Bosporus was arriving in Nigeria and Africa for the first time. The vessel had been used mainly to transport coal between Colombia and Brazil. Captain Corpus had also served only three months on the ship before the arrest.
NDLEA reacts to the seizure
Chairman and Chief Executive of the NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (rtd), warned that the Agency’s stance against drug trafficking remains uncompromising. He also issued a warning to Nigerians aiding foreign drug syndicates.
“You are not just committing a crime; you are betraying your nation’s future. The consequences of aiding and abetting drug trafficking will be severe and unrelenting. 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,” he said.
What you should know
Nairametrics reported in May 2025 that a Federal High Court in Lagos, presided over by Justice Daniel Osiagor, convicted 10 Thai sailors and their vessel, MV Chayanee Naree, for smuggling 32.9 kilograms of cocaine into Nigeria via the Apapa seaport.
The prosecution, led by the NDLEA, had been building the case for over three years. The sailors and the ship, along with nine Nigerian suspects, were originally arraigned in February 2022 on charges that included conspiracy and unlawful transportation of narcotics.
When they were arrested on October 13, 2021, at Apapa port, the Thai crew initially submitted a “no-case” motion, arguing that the evidence was insufficient. But the court rejected their motion, agreeing with prosecutors that there was a prima facie case, and ordered them to open their defence.
Rather than go through a full trial, the sailors entered into a plea bargain with the NDLEA. At the judgement on May 15, 2025, the court handed down stiff financial penalties: the vessel was fined US$4 million, and the crew members also received fines and restitution.
Specifically, three of the sailors (including the captains) were ordered to pay US$50,000 each, while the remaining crew were fined US$30,000. In addition, all convicted sailors were ordered to pay N100,000 each.
