Barely half a year after a group of Thai sailors were convicted and handed a multimillion-dollar fine for importing nearly 33 kilogrammes of cocaine into Nigeria, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has intercepted yet another vessel arriving from Brazil, intensifying the country’s crackdown on transnational drug trafficking networks.
The ship, MV Nord Bosporus, arrived at the Apapa seaport in Lagos from the port of Santos carrying commercial goods, but NDLEA officers discovered 20 kilogrammes of cocaine concealed beneath its cargo on 16 November 2025.
The crew, consisting of the Filipino Master, Captain Quino Eugene Corpus, and 19 other Filipino sailors, were immediately taken into custody as investigations began.
The agency subsequently sought and obtained a court order permitting the detention of both the crew and the vessel for an initial 14-day period.
Justice Musa Kakaki of the Federal High Court in Lagos approved the order on 20 November, allowing investigators more time to probe the ship’s activities and possible links to international cartels.
Early findings indicate that this was the vessel’s first voyage to Nigeria or any African port, having typically operated between Colombia and Brazil transporting coal.
Captain Corpus himself had only been assigned to the vessel three months earlier, a detail investigators believe may help establish the timeline of the ship’s movements and any potential infiltration by drug syndicates.
The interception draws inevitable comparisons with the 2021 seizure involving the MV Chayanee Naree, in which 10 Thai sailors and nine Nigerian collaborators were arrested after attempting to smuggle cocaine from Brazil through the same Apapa port. That case concluded in May 2025, when a Federal High Court convicted the sailors and imposed a $4.3 million fine, signalling Nigeria’s willingness to take firm action against maritime drug smuggling.
The latest incident underscores how Brazilian trafficking routes continue to pose a significant threat to West African ports, which cartels have historically viewed as strategic transit hubs for cocaine destined for Europe and beyond.
Reacting to the newest seizure, NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive, Brigadier General Mohamed Buba Marwa (retired), praised the Apapa Strategic Command and the Directorate of Seaport Operations for what he described as a display of vigilance, professionalism and increased operational capability.
He declared that the success embodies the agency’s “heightened capacity and unwavering resolve” to disrupt trafficking routes and dismantle international networks seeking to exploit Nigeria’s maritime gateways.
Marwa issued a stern warning to foreign cartels and their local accomplices, emphasising that Nigeria would not serve as a safe corridor for illicit drug movements.
He insisted that the NDLEA’s intelligence systems, strengthened international collaboration and commitment to proactive enforcement had placed the country “steps ahead” of criminal syndicates attempting sophisticated concealment techniques.
Addressing Nigerians tempted to conspire with foreign traffickers, he stressed that such actions constitute a betrayal of the nation’s future and promised severe and persistent consequences, including asset forfeiture and long-term imprisonment.
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