December 17, 2025 — Dalena Reporters
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has obtained a Federal High Court order in Lagos allowing it to detain a foreign merchant vessel, its captain and 20 crew members after the discovery of 25.5 kilograms of cocaine concealed aboard the ship, officials said.
NDLEA operatives acting on credible intelligence intercepted the commodity vessel, MV San Antonio, after it arrived from Brazil at the Apapa Seaport in Lagos on December 6, 2025. The illicit drugs were found hidden in the hatch of the ship shortly after its cargo was fully discharged.
Following the seizure, NDLEA arrested 21 crew members of various nationalities, including Russians, Filipinos, Ukrainians and Azerbaijanis, alongside the seized cocaine. Among them is the Captain, Trofymov Oleksandr, along with crew members such as Stoychev Sergiy, Bobrov Maksim, Stupnytsky Sergiy, Bitinev Aleksei and others now in NDLEA custody for further investigation.
In an ex-parte application filed on December 12, 2025, before Justice Frida Nkemakonam Ogazi of the Federal High Court in Lagos, NDLEA sought a detention order for the vessel and its crew pending the conclusion of investigations and possible criminal charges. The court granted the request, ordering the detention of the MV San Antonio and all 21 crew members for 14 days in the first instance.
The court also adjourned the matter to December 29, 2025, for further proceedings as required under Nigerian law.
The latest seizure adds to recent narcotics interdictions by NDLEA officers at the same seaport. In November 2025, another commodity ship — the MV Nord Bosporus — arriving from Brazil with about 20 kilograms of cocaine concealed under its cargo was intercepted and its crew detained for investigation, underscoring what authorities describe as emerging trafficking routes from South America into Nigeria.
NDLEA spokesperson Femi Babafemi said the agency remains committed to disrupting international drug trafficking networks using robust intelligence and legal mechanisms to hold suspects and assets accountable.