The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has reaffirmed its zero-tolerance stance against narcotics trafficking following an order by the Federal High Court sitting in Lagos for the continued detention of a foreign vessel, MV San Antonio, and its 21 crew members over their alleged involvement in a major cocaine smuggling operation uncovered at the Apapa Port.
Justice Friday Nkemakonam Ogazi, ruling on an application filed by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), granted an extension of the detention of the vessel and its crew for an additional 14 days to allow investigators conclude ongoing inquiries into what authorities describe as a complex international drug trafficking network.
The case arose from an intelligence-driven interception carried out by officers of the Nigeria Customs Service, Apapa Area Command, shortly after the vessel berthed from Brazil on December 6, 2025. During a thorough examination of the ship, Customs officers uncovered 25.5 kilograms of cocaine concealed in 24 parcels packed into five bags and hidden within a bulk consignment of sugar.
Following the discovery, the vessel was immediately detained and all crew members arrested, including the vessel’s master, Trofymov Oleksandr, alongside 20 other crew members of various nationalities serving in different operational capacities on board.
In line with established inter-agency protocols, the Nigeria Customs Service formally handed over the vessel, the seized narcotics, and the suspects to the NDLEA for further investigation and prosecution.
Justice Ogazi had earlier, on December 12, 2025, granted an ex parte application filed by NDLEA counsel, Barrister Kunle Adebajo, authorising the initial detention of the vessel and its crew. When the matter came up again, the NDLEA informed the court that investigations were still ongoing, citing the complexity, sophistication, and transnational dimension of the case.
The agency explained that the concealment method employed, as well as emerging intelligence linking some Nigerians to the operation, suggested the existence of a wider criminal syndicate with international reach, requiring additional time to dismantle and fully expose all actors involved.
In granting the extension, Justice Ogazi held that the application was meritorious and adjourned the matter to January 13 for a report on the progress of investigations.
Meanwhile, the NDLEA assured the court that investigative efforts were being intensified, including forensic analysis of the seized drugs, detailed interrogation of the crew members, and collaboration with international law enforcement partners to trace the origin and intended destination of the illicit consignment.
The agency also disclosed that it was working closely with foreign authorities to establish possible links between the vessel’s operators and known drug trafficking cartels operating across South America, Central America, and West Africa.
Earlier, the Customs Area Controller, Apapa Area Command, Comptroller Emmanuel Oshoba, had described the seizure as a testament to the Service’s strengthened intelligence architecture and effective collaboration with sister agencies.
“This seizure and the continued detention of the vessel should send a strong message to perpetrators of unlawful trade within our port system,” Comptroller Oshoba said. “Customs is strengthening its synergy with all sister government agencies, and no criminal or group of lawless persons can beat us here.”
He further noted that the vessel’s travel history, which included departures from Brazil and stopovers in Honduras, Guatemala, and other routes associated with drug trafficking, had raised red flags for Customs intelligence units and informed the targeted inspection.
Security analysts say the court’s decision reflects the gravity of the allegations and underscores growing judicial backing for law enforcement agencies in the fight against transnational organised crime, particularly the use of Nigerian ports for illicit drug shipments.
As investigations continue, both the Nigeria Customs Service and the NDLEA have reiterated their commitment to ensuring that all individuals found culpable are prosecuted in accordance with Nigerian law, while warning criminal networks that Nigeria’s ports are no longer safe corridors for drug trafficking and other prohibited activities.
