The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency has arraigned a cargo vessel, MV Nord Bosporus, alongside 10 Filipino nationals before the Federal High Court in Lagos over the alleged importation of 20 kilogrammes of cocaine into Nigeria.
The suspects were brought before Justice Ayokunle Faji on Monday on a four-count charge bordering on conspiracy and unlawful importation of narcotics.
Prosecuting counsel for the anti-drug agency, Theresa Asuquo, told the court that the defendants were arrested on November 16, 2025, at the GDNL Terminal of the Apapa Port in Lagos.
She alleged that the accused persons conspired to smuggle 20 kilogrammes of cocaine into Nigeria aboard the vessel.
According to the prosecution, the alleged offences contravene Sections 11(b) and 14(b) of the NDLEA Act, Cap N30, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004.
The defendants include Eugene Quinos Corpuz, Mark Joseph Jardiniano, Alexis Navidad Evarrola, Francis Gerard Niones Carpio, Franz Jude Mayran, Mahinay Junniel Lagura, Mario Ganiban Malvar, Hormachuelos Lordito Guivencan, Joshua Emmanuel Hufanda and Edwin Baltazar Reyes.
They all pleaded not guilty to the charges.
However, the prosecution informed the court that a plea bargain agreement had already been reached in line with Section 270(4) of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act 2015 and that the agency would file an amended charge.
Counsel to the defendants, Femi Atoyebi, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, confirmed the development and urged the court to fix a date for further proceedings.
Following the agreement of both parties, Justice Faji adjourned the case till March 16 for further hearing.
The NDLEA had earlier intercepted the vessel at Apapa Port after discovering 20 kilogrammes of cocaine concealed beneath the ship’s cargo.
The vessel, which sailed from Santos in Brazil, was said to be making its first voyage to Nigeria and the African continent, having previously transported coal between Colombia and Brazil.
Following the interception, the agency secured a court order to detain the vessel and its 20-member Filipino crew for 14 days to enable investigators conduct further inquiries.
Chairman of the NDLEA, Buba Marwa, a retired brigadier-general, had commended operatives of the Apapa Command and the Directorate of Seaport Operations for the successful operation.
He warned international drug syndicates and their local collaborators that Nigeria would not tolerate narcotics trafficking, stressing that the agency maintained zero tolerance for illicit drug smuggling.
According to NDLEA records, the agency seized more than 207,976 kilogrammes of hard drugs across Nigerian seaports between January 2023 and March 2024, leading to the arrest of 167 suspects in its intensified crackdown on drug trafficking.
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