Barely six months after 10 Thai sailors and their ship were convicted and fined $4.3 million for bringing 32.9kg cocaine into Nigeria, operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have again intercepted another commodity-laden vessel: MV Nord Bosporus, marked: 9760110, from the port of Santos in Brazil at the Apapa seaport in Lagos State with no less than 20 kilograms of the Class A drug buried under its cargo, arresting 20 Filipinos.
The Director of Media and Advocacy of the NDLEA, Femi Babafemi, revealed this in a statement he issued to newsmen on Friday.
According to Babafemi, the illicit drug consignment was discovered on board the vessel on November 16, 2025 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.
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 November 20, 2025 granted the application for an initial 14 days detention of the vessel, Captain 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 hass 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 kilograms of cocaine from Brazil into Nigeria through the Apapa seaport.
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Nine Nigerian suspects were also arrested along with the Thai crew members.
The 10 Thai sailors and the vessel were eventually convicted on May 15, 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 significant seizure of 20kg cocaine on board MV Nord Bosporus, the Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brigadier General Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd), 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”, adding: “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.
“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.
“Our intelligence network, collaboration with international partners, and the dedication of our officers are steps ahead of your nefarious activities.”
For any Nigerian who chooses to collaborate with foreign syndicates in the illicit drug trade, the NDLEA boss reminded them of the consequences of such: “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.”
