Nigerian authorities have arrested 22 Indian crewmembers of the bulk carrier Aruna Hulya after discovering a shipment of cocaine concealed on board the vessel at the port of Lagos.
According to the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), officers intercepted the Marshall Islands–flagged bulker on January 2 following its arrival at the terminal. A search of the ship uncovered approximately 31.5 kilograms of cocaine hidden inside the vessel’s number-three hatch.
All 22 crewmembers, including the captain, were taken into custody for questioning as investigators work to determine the origin of the drugs and whether any of the crew were directly involved. Authorities have launched a formal inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the smuggling attempt.
The Aruna Hulya, built in 2012, is a 32,715-gt bulk carrier measuring 187.88 meters in length and 32.26 meters in beam. The vessel had departed from Santos, Brazil, in November and arrived in Lagos on December 26 after a transatlantic voyage.
Nigeria has increasingly become a transit point in maritime cocaine trafficking routes linking South America with European markets. Law enforcement officials say drug consignments are often moved through West African ports before being transferred into other shipments bound for Europe, where they may attract less scrutiny than cargoes shipped directly from South America.
The Lagos seizure follows a similar case in November, when Nigerian authorities detained all 20 crewmembers of the bulk carrier Nord Bosporus after 20 kilograms of cocaine were found hidden in its cargo. In both incidents, the vessels’ previous port of call was Santos, Brazil.
