The Apapa Area Command of the Nigeria Customs Service, NCS, has intercepted 25.5 kilogrammes of cocaine concealed aboard a Brazilian vessel, MV San Anthonio, which docked at the Lagos Port Complex.
In a statement by the Public Relations Officer of the Apapa Command, CSC Isah Suleiman, the substance, packaged in 24 slabs and hidden inside five bags, was discovered during an intelligence-led operation carried out shortly after the vessel berthed. The ship has since been detained.
Controller of the Apapa Area Command, Comptroller Emmanuel Oshoba, who confirmed the development, described the seizure as a major outcome of the strengthened collaboration between the NCS and the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).
Oshoba noted that intelligence reports indicated the vessel sailed from Brazil and made stops in Honduras, Guatemala, and other ports with known links to drug trafficking before arriving Nigeria.
He reaffirmed the command’s commitment to enforcing customs laws and preventing illicit imports in line with directives from the Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi.
While handing over the drugs to the NDLEA, Oshoba said the vessel remains under detention as part of ongoing investigations.
“What has happened today is the outcome of profiling and intelligence-led operations,” he said. “This seizure and the detention of the ship should send a strong warning to perpetrators of unlawful trade within our port system.”
He added that, as the Yuletide period approaches, the command will prioritise national security over trade convenience, insisting that all consignments passing through the port must be properly examined.
The NDLEA took custody of the drugs at a brief handover ceremony. The agency was represented by CN Haliru Umar, Commander of the Apapa Strategic Command.
