Nigeria arrests 20 Pinoy seafarers in drug bust
MANILA, Philippines — Nigeria’s drug enforcement agency on Friday said it had arrested 20 Filipino seafarers caught ferrying at least 20 kilograms of cocaine from Brazil to Lagos’s main port.
Nigeria has long been considered a trafficking and production hub for drugs bound for Europe and other African countries.
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) said it intercepted the shipment of top-grade cocaine on Sunday on board a Panama-registered vessel.
The cocaine was buried under its cargo, NDLEA said in a statement. It did not state the type of cargo but said the vessel normally transports coal between Brazil and Colombia.
The all-Filipino crew was taken into custody for investigation.
Earlier this month the agency said it was working with the US and British anti-drug agencies to investigate a cartel behind the importation of 1,000 kilograms of cocaine discovered in a container at a Lagos port.
President Donald Trump recently increased the presence of US forces in the Caribbean region to tackle what he says are drug traffickers based in Latin American countries including Venezuela and Mexico.
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