Officers of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Apapa Area Command and the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have intercepted 30 slabs of cocaine weighing 30.1 kilogrammes concealed onboard a Marshall Islands-flagged vessel, MV Aruna.
In a statement by the Public Relations Officer of the Apapa Customs Command, Isah Sulaiman, the seizure occurred on January 2, 2026, at the Greenview Terminal within Apapa Port, Lagos.
According to the statement, the illicit substance was carefully hidden aboard the ship, underscoring the sophisticated tactics employed by smugglers attempting to exploit the nation’s busiest seaport.
The Customs Area Controller for Apapa Command, Emmanuel Oshoba, described the interception as a bold statement for 2026, reaffirming the command’s zero-tolerance policy towards illicit trade.
He said this latest bust marks the third major drug interception by the joint NCS-NDLEA team in recent weeks.
“Barely two weeks ago, the agencies seized 25.5kg of cocaine hidden in five bags aboard another vessel based on intelligence”