Officers of the Nigeria Customs Service at the Apapa Area Command, working with the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, have seized 30 slabs of cocaine at the Apapa Port in Lagos. The drugs were discovered on a foreign ship identified as MV Aruna, which is registered in the Marshall Islands. The interception happened at the Greenview Terminal during routine checks on Friday.

Officials explained that the illegal substance was hidden carefully inside the vessel, showing that drug traffickers are using more advanced methods to move narcotics across borders. A spokesperson for the Apapa Command said the officers became suspicious during inspection and decided to carry out a deeper search, which led to the discovery of the cocaine.

The Area Controller of Customs, Emmanuel Oshoba, praised the officers for their alertness, especially during the busy New Year period. He said the successful operation shows that the command is fully committed to stopping smuggling and protecting the country from harmful substances entering through the port.

The NDLEA has taken over the seized cocaine for further investigation and prosecution of those behind the shipment. Authorities also revealed that this is the third major drug seizure carried out by the joint Customs and NDLEA team in recent weeks, underlining the growing cooperation between both agencies in the fight against drug trafficking.