The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency has intercepted a vessel carrying 20 kilogrammes of cocaine at the Apapa seaport in Lagos. NDLEA spokesperson Femi Babafemi said the ship, MV Nord Bosporus, arrived from Santos in Brazil and the cocaine was found hidden beneath its cargo on Sunday, 16 November.
Babafemi said the vessel’s master, Captain Quino Eugene Corpus, and 19 other Filipino crew members were taken into custody for investigation. He added that an ex-parte application was filed before Justice Musa Kakaki of the Federal High Court in Lagos seeking permission to detain the vessel and crew.
Justice Kakaki granted the request on Thursday, approving an initial 14-day detention period for the vessel and all 20 crew members. Preliminary findings showed that the MV Nord Bosporus was visiting Nigeria and Africa for the first time, having mainly transported coal between Colombia and Brazil.
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The seizure comes six months after 10 Thai sailors aboard the MV Chayanee Naree were convicted for attempting to bring nearly 33 kilogrammes of cocaine into Nigeria through the same port. NDLEA chairman Buba Marwa commended the officers involved in the latest operation and reiterated the agency’s resolve to protect Nigeria’s borders from illicit drug trafficking.
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