The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Apapa Command, has intercepted 25.5kg of cocaine concealed in 24 parcels aboard a Brazilian vessel, MV San Anthonio, during an intelligence-led operation in Lagos.
Command spokesman CSC Isah Sulaiman said the drugs were found hidden in five bags during checks that prompted the detention of the ship. Customs Area Controller Comptroller Emmanuel Oshoba described the seizure as a product of strong collaboration between the NCS and the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).
Oshoba noted that intelligence showed the vessel had made stops in Honduras, Guatemala and other drug-risk ports after departing Brazil. He said the operation aligns with the Comptroller-General’s zero-tolerance directive against illicit trade at the Apapa Port.
While handing the drugs over to the NDLEA for investigation, Oshoba confirmed that the ship had been detained, warning that the command would not compromise national security, especially ahead of the Yuletide season.
NDLEA’s Apapa Strategic Commander, Mr. Haliru Umar, said thorough investigations would be carried out to uncover those behind the illicit shipment.
