The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has secured an order of the Federal High Court in Lagos authorising the detention of a merchant vessel, its captain and 20 crew members following the seizure of 25.5 kilogrammes of cocaine at the Apapa Seaport.
The order relates to MV San Antonio, a commodity vessel that sailed from Brazil. According to a statement issued on Wednesday by the NDLEA spokesperson, Mr Femi Babafemi, the illicit drugs were discovered concealed in the vessel’s hatch on 6 December 2025, following actionable intelligence.
Babafemi disclosed that after the vessel’s cargo was fully discharged, all 21 crew members were taken into NDLEA custody alongside the seized cocaine exhibits. He said the suspects are of different nationalities, including Russian, Filipino, Ukrainian and Azerbaijani.
Those detained include the vessel’s master, Trofymov Oleksandr, as well as other crew members: Stoychev Sergiy, Bobrov Maksim, Stupnytsky Sergiy, Bitinev Aleksei, Novruzov Teymur, Sosnov Oleg, Bondar Ihor, Klymenko Oleh, Cala Michael De Jesus, Jamir Julfikhar Jacusalem, Blanco Crus Veloso, Fajardo Ronnel Luntaao, Gumela Lolito Jr. Serojano, Toston Romulo Jr. Oling, Smirnov Viacheslav, Gorre Mar Kemmeth Tabudlong, Cruz John Vhoie Glavez, Sablan Jamille Alorro, Abesia Kelvin Belarmino and Ubay Kenneth Biaoco.
Babafemi noted that the interception follows a similar operation in November, when NDLEA operatives seized no fewer than 20 kilogrammes of cocaine aboard another vessel, MV Nord Bosporus, which also arrived from Santos, Brazil. That seizure was made at the Apapa Seaport on 16 November 2025.
In line with international maritime and legal protocols, the NDLEA last Friday filed an ex parte application before Justice Friday Ogazi of the Federal High Court, Lagos, seeking an order to detain the vessel and its crew pending the conclusion of investigations and the filing of criminal charges.
Granting the application in Suit No. FHC/L/MISC/1408/2025, the court ordered the detention of MV San Antonio for an initial period of 14 days, effective from the date of the seizure on 6 December 2025. The order is to subsist pending the completion of investigations and/or the commencement of prosecution. The matter was adjourned to 29 December 2025.
Reacting to the development, the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the NDLEA, Brigadier General Buba Marwa (retd.), said the seizure reinforces his earlier warning to international drug cartels and their local collaborators that Nigeria will not serve as a safe haven for illicit drug trafficking.
He commended officers of the agency’s Apapa Strategic Command for what he described as back-to-back successful operations, noting that the outcome reflects the NDLEA’s enhanced operational capacity and firm resolve to dismantle drug trafficking syndicates targeting Nigeria and the wider West African sub-region.
Marwa added that the agency would continue to work closely with local and international partners to enforce zero tolerance for substance abuse and illicit drug trafficking across the country.
