Twenty Filipino seafarers were detained in Lagos on Sunday after Nigerian drug enforcement officers found 20 kilograms of cocaine on their vessel.
The ship, the Panama-registered bulk carrier MV Nord Bosporus, arrived at Lagos’ Tincan Island Port from Santos, Brazil on November 16. The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency operatives discovered the drugs hidden beneath its cargo, which the agency said typically consists of coal transported between Brazil and Colombia.
Officers arrested the Filipino master and 19 crew members on the spot. The all crew has been taken into custody for investigation, the agency said.
A Federal High Court in Lagos issued a 14-day remand order for both the vessel and the seafarers while investigators examine the case. NDLEA said the operation is part of a wider effort to disrupt international drug networks using Nigerian ports as transit points.
Nigeria remains a known hub for drug trafficking operations linked to Latin America and routes toward Europe and Africa.
Earlier this month, the NDLEA stated that it was working alongside United States and British anti-drug agencies to pursue a cartel connected to a separate discovery involving 1,000 kilogrammes of cocaine found inside a container at the Lagos port.
