Nigeria’s anti-drug authorities have detained 20 Filipino seafarers after officers intercepted around 20 kilogrammes of cocaine on board a Panama-registered vessel that arrived at Lagos’s main port, the country’s drug enforcement agency confirmed on Friday.

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) reported that the cocaine, described by the agency as top-grade, was recovered on Sunday.

According to officials, the drugs had been buried beneath the ship’s cargo, which the agency said typically consists of coal transported between Brazil and Colombia. The entire Filipino crew has been placed in custody while investigations continue.

Nigeria has long been identified as a key transit and production hub for drug shipments moving towards Europe and other parts of Africa, and the latest seizure adds to ongoing efforts to curb trafficking through the region.

Earlier this month, the NDLEA stated that it was working alongside United States and British anti-drug agencies to pursue a cartel connected to a separate discovery involving 1,000 kilogrammes of cocaine found inside a container at the Lagos port.

The development also comes amid increased US activity against drug traffickers in the wider region. President Donald Trump recently expanded the deployment of American forces in the Caribbean, which he said was intended to counter traffickers operating from Latin American countries, including Venezuela and Mexico.

The Filipino crew members remain in custody as Nigerian authorities continue their investigation into the vessel’s route from Brazil to Lagos and the circumstances surrounding the concealed shipment.

References: Gmanetwork, philstar