Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have seized 31.5 kilograms of cocaine at the Apapa port in Lagos and arrested 22 Indian crew members of a merchant vessel linked to the illicit consignment.
In addition to the cocaine bust, the agency also intercepted several consignments of illicit drugs concealed in coffee sachets and book parcels destined for Zambia and the United Kingdom.
In a statement issued on Sunday, NDLEA spokesperson Femi Babafemi said operatives uncovered various quantities of Ketamine, Ecstasy, and Tramadol pills hidden in sachets of coffee mix at a courier company in Lagos on December 24 and 29, 2025.
Babafemi explained that the seizures coincided with a major operation at the GDNL terminal of the Apapa port, where NDLEA officers intercepted the merchant vessel MV Aruna Hulya.
“The seizures made at a courier company in Lagos on 24th and 29th December 2025 came just as the agency has taken into custody 22 Indian crew members of a merchant vessel, MV Aruna Hulya, in which 31.5 kilograms of cocaine were seized by operatives at the GDNL terminal, Apapa port, Lagos, on Friday, January 2, 2026,” the statement read.
The NDLEA said investigations are ongoing to identify and dismantle the drug trafficking networks behind the consignments, adding that the arrests underscore the agency’s continued clampdown on international drug trafficking syndicates using Nigeria as a transit route.
The agency reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening surveillance at ports, airports, and courier services to curb the trafficking of illicit drugs within and outside the country.
