By RismadarVoice Reporters
January 3, 2025
A Federal High Court sitting in Lagos has ordered the continued detention of a Brazilian vessel, MV San Antonio, and its 21 crew members as investigations into a major cocaine trafficking operation uncovered at the Apapa Port intensify.
RismadarVoice reports that Justice Friday Nkemakonam Ogazi granted the order, following an application by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, allowing the vessel and its crew to remain in custody for an additional 14 days to enable investigators conclude ongoing inquiries into the transnational drug trafficking network.
The case originated from an intelligence led operation by officers of the Nigeria Customs Service, Apapa Area Command shortly after the vessel arrived from Brazil on December 6, 2025.
During a thorough inspection, Customs officers uncovered 25.5 kilograms of cocaine concealed in 24 parcels packed inside five bags hidden within a bulk shipment of sugar.
Following the discovery, the vessel was immediately detained and all 21 crew members arrested, including the ship’s master, Trofymov Oleksandr, alongside other crew members of various nationalities, serving in different operational roles on board.
In line with inter agency protocols, the Nigeria Customs Service handed over the seized narcotics, the vessel and the suspects to the NDLEA for further investigation and prosecution. Justice Ogazi had earlier, on December 12, 2025, approved an ex parte application filed by NDLEA counsel, Barrister Kunle Adebajo, authorizing the initial detention of the vessel and its crew.
When the matter was revisited in court, the NDLEA informed the judge that investigations were still ongoing, due to the complexity and international nature of the case. The agency disclosed that the concealment method used an emerging intelligence, linking some Nigerian collaborators to the operation pointed to a wider criminal syndicate which required more time to dismantle.
In granting the extension, Justice Ogazi ruled that the application had merit, adjourned the case to January 13, 2026 for an update on the progress of investigations.
Speaking earlier on the seizure, the Customs Area Controller, Apapa Area Command, Comptroller Emmanuel Oshoba, described the interception as proof of the Service’s improved intelligence capabilities, strong collaboration with sister agencies.
He stated that the seizure and continued detention of the vessel send a strong warning to individuals and criminal networks involved in illicit trade within Nigeria’s port system, stressing that no criminal enterprise would be allowed to thrive.
Comptroller Oshoba also revealed that the vessel’s travel history, which included departures from Brazil and stopovers in Honduras, Guatemala and other known drug trafficking corridors, had raised red flags during intelligence profiling.
RismadarVoice notes that the ongoing case highlights the growing effectiveness of cooperation between the Nigeria Customs Service and the NDLEA, reinforcing the commitment of security agencies to protect Nigeria’s ports, borders, economy from the dangers posed by illicit drugs and other prohibited goods.
