NDLEA detains 22 Indians over Ship laden with cocaine

…Nabs ‘Mama Kerosine’, seizes opioids, skunk in 5 states

By Kingsley Omonobi

Following the seizure of 31.5 kilograms of cocaine aboard a merchant vessel, MV Aruna Hulya, by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, at the GDNL Terminal, Apapa Port, Lagos, on Friday, January 2, 2026, the agency has taken into custody 22 Indian crew members of the ship.

In a statement by Director, Media and Advocacy, NDLEA, Mr Femi Babafemi, yesterday, the Agency said : “Those detained in connection with the discovery of the 31.5kg cocaine in hatch 3 of the ship, which originated from Marshall Islands, include the Master of the Vessel, Sharma Shashi Bhushan, and 21 other crew members, namely: Bharati Manoj Kumar.”

Others listed are Bhalerao Nilesh Mukund; Nadar Anthony Macson David; Kolusu Srinivasa Rao; Sagar Gaurav; Francis Anto Beemas Nester; Jagdeep Singh; Jai Parkash; Prabhukhan Singh; Nevage Sandesh Suresh; Pandey Prashant; Nittu Anand; Akash Babu; Dasari Raju; Reddy Nandika Sanjeeba; Rana Nivesh; Melethil Insaf Rahman; Barla Chantanya Krishna; Ghosh Arijit; Mondal Raihan; and Gangwar Shiv Om.

According to the statement, in a related development, operatives intercepted various quantities of Ketamine, Ecstasy and Tramadol pills concealed in sachets of coffee mix and book parcels heading to Zambia and the United Kingdom. The discoveries were made at a courier company in Lagos on December 24 and 29, 2025.

In Oyo State, operatives on December 29, 2025, arrested a wanted female drug kingpin identified as Fatima Ilori, 65, popularly known as “Mama Kerosine”, a major illicit drug distributor in Ibadan.

She was nabbed following the seizure of 238.4kg of skunk, a strain of cannabis, linked to her. She was arrested alongside another female suspect, Olusanya Abosede, 35, at the Onireke/Elekuro area of Ibadan.

In Borno State, the supply chain of illicit drugs to insurgents was disrupted with the arrest of two suspects and the seizure of large consignments of drugs. One of the suspects, Isa Mohammed, 26, was arrested following the interception of 9,150 ampoules of Tramadol injection along the Maiduguri–Gamboru Ngala road on Friday, January 2, 2026.

Another suspect, Musa Samaila, 30, was nabbed the same day with 34,000 capsules of Tramadol at Biu Market.

In Lagos, operatives recovered 400kg of skunk and a van at the Mobolaji Johnson area on New Year’s Day.

, Thursday, January 1. In Jigawa State, a suspect, Bilya Ibrahim, 39, was arrested at a motor park in Hadejia on Tuesday, December 30, 2025, while attempting to transport 260 compressed blocks of skunk weighing 140.8kg, allegedly sourced from Taraba State and destined for Nguru, Yobe State.

Similarly, in Kwara State, NDLEA officers on Tuesday, December 30, recovered 238.5kg of skunk from the residence of a suspect at the Asadam area of Ilorin, while 32,000 pills of Tramadol and Diazepam were seized from another suspect, Abubakar Rabiu, 32, at Bode Saadu, Moro LGA, on Wednesday, December 31, 2025.
The post NDLEA detains 22 Indians over Ship laden with cocaine appeared first on Vanguard News.