NDLEA Strikes Again: Brazil–Nigeria Cocaine Plot Crumbles as Vessel, 20 Filipino Crew Arrested

Nigeria is not, and will never be, your footholds.... Marwa 


In a powerful display of Nigeria’s escalating war against international drug syndicates, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has intercepted yet another vessel carrying illicit cargo this time a shipment of 20 kilograms of cocaine smuggled from Brazil.

The ship, MV Nord Bosporus, slipped into the Apapa seaport in Lagos on November 16, 2025, unaware that NDLEA operatives were already watching. What began as a routine inspection quickly transformed into a high-stakes operation when officers uncovered cocaine expertly buried beneath the ship’s cargo.

Within hours, the ship’s Master, Captain Quino Eugene Corpus, and all 19 Filipino crew members were taken into custody as suspects in the transnational trafficking scheme.

A Federal High Court in Lagos has since granted the NDLEA a 14-day detention order for the vessel and its crew, enabling deeper investigations into the cartel behind the shipment.
This interception comes on the heels of another major victory—the conviction of 10 Thai sailors earlier this year, who were fined a staggering $4.3 million for attempting to ferry 32.9kg of cocaine into the country.

NDLEA Chairman/CEO Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (rtd) hailed the latest operation as proof that global drug cartels can no longer infiltrate Nigerian borders with impunity.

 “Nigeria is not, and will never be, your foothold,” Marwa thundered. “You may plot. You may conceal. But you will fail.”



He delivered an even harsher warning to Nigerians aiding foreign traffickers, describing them as betrayers of the nation’s future and promising “severe and unrelenting consequences.”

Investigations into the vessel and its mysterious first-ever voyage to Africa are ongoing.


Source: NDLEA

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