Business
NDLEA Seizes 25kg of Cocaine, Holds Ship and Crew
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency has secured an order of the Federal High Court in Lagos to detain a commodity vessel, its captain and 20 other crew members following the seizure of 25.5 kilograms of cocaine at the Apapa seaport.
The cocaine was discovered in the hatch of the merchant vessel, MV San Antonio, which arrived in Lagos from Brazil.
The Director of Media and Advocacy at the NDLEA headquarters, Abuja, Femi Babafemi, disclosed this in a statement on Wednesday, saying the seizure was made on December 6, 2025, after operatives acted on credible intelligence.
Babafemi said that following the discharge of the ship’s cargo, a total of 21 crew members of different nationalities, including Russians, Filipinos, Ukrainians and Azerbaijanis, were taken into custody alongside the seized drugs.
He said the interception came weeks after NDLEA officers uncovered another cocaine shipment aboard MV Nord Bosporus from the port of Santos, Brazil, where about 20 kilograms of the drug were concealed under cargo at the same Apapa port on November 16.
According to him, those detained include the vessel’s master, Trofymov Oleksandr, and other crew members whose statements are currently being taken as part of ongoing investigations.
Babafemi added that in line with international legal protocols, the agency on December 12 filed an ex parte application before Justice Frida Nkemakonam Ogazi of the Federal High Court, Lagos, seeking the detention of the vessel and the suspects pending the conclusion of investigations and the filing of charges.
Granting the application, the court ordered that the vessel and the crew members be detained for an initial period of 14 days following the seizure of the cocaine, and adjourned the matter to December 29, 2025.
Reacting to the development, the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), said the seizure reinforced the agency’s resolve to deny international drug cartels and their local collaborators any foothold in Nigeria.
He commended officers of the Apapa Strategic Command for the successful operations and assured that the agency would continue working with local and international partners to combat drug trafficking and substance abuse.
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