November 21, 2025
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency NDLEA, has announced the interception of 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.
Information emanating from the NDLEA, said officers of the agency 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.
The Agency had filed a motion ex-parte before Justice Musa Kakaki of the Federal High Court, Lagos, following the seizure to enable it detain the ship for proper investigation.
READ MORE; Buba Marwa Reappointed As NDLEA Chairman
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 revealed that MV Nord Bosporus which was berthing in Nigeria and Africa for the first time, had previously been used mainly to transport coal between Colombia and Brazil.
The agency also found out that the Captain of the vessel, Quino Eugene Corpus, had served only three months on the ship before the arrest.
Reacting 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 and also sent a note of warning to Nigerians collaborators with foreign drug syndicates.
READ MORE; NDLEA intercepts shipments of Loud from Canada in Lagos
“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.
A Federal High Court in Lagos, presided over by Justice Daniel Osiagor, had in May 2025, convicted 10 Thai sailors and their vessel, MV Chayanee Naree, for smuggling 32.9 kilograms of cocaine into Nigeria via the Apapa seaport.
