A Federal High Court sitting in Lagos has convicted 11 Indian sailors and their merchant vessel, MV Aruna Hulya, for importing 31.5 kilogrammes of cocaine into Nigeria through the Apapa Seaport in Lagos.
Naija News reports that the conviction came barely six months after operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) arrested the crew members and seized the vessel following the discovery of the illicit drug on board.
The sailors and the vessel were also fined and ordered to pay restitution totalling $6m to the Federal Government.
NDLEA operatives had, on January 2, 2026, discovered 31.5kg of cocaine in hatch 3 of the merchant vessel at the GDNL Terminal, Apapa Port, Lagos.
The vessel, marked MV Aruna Hulya, had reportedly brought the consignment into Nigeria from the Marshall Islands.
Following the seizure, the agency took the vessel and its Indian crew members into custody.
Those arrested included the Master of the vessel, Sharma Shashi Bhushan, and 10 other crew members identified as Bharati Manoj Kumar, Nevage Sandesh Suresh, Pandey Prashant, Nuttu Anand, Akash Babu, Nilesh Mukuno Bhalerad, Melethil Insaf Rahman, Barla Chantanya Krishna, Prabhasukhan Singu and Jai Parkash.
They were later arraigned on a two-count charge before Justice Joseph Chukwujekwu Aneke of the Federal High Court, Lagos, in suit number FHC/L/56C/2026.
After months of proceedings, the trial judge, on Thursday, June 11, 2026, delivered his ruling on the plea bargain terms filed by the prosecution and the defence.
The court convicted all 12 defendants under Section 25 of the NDLEA Act and sentenced each of them to pay ₦100,000, being the penalty prescribed for the offence under the law.
In addition to the fines, the court ordered the first defendant, the vessel, to pay restitution to the Federal Republic of Nigeria in the sum of $5.3 million or its equivalent in naira.
The three principal officers of the vessel, who were listed as the second, third and fourth defendants, were also ordered to pay $100,000 each as restitution to the Federal Government.
They are Sharma Shashi Bhushan, Nilesh Mukuno Bhalerad and Melethil Insaf Rahman.
The remaining crew members, who were listed as the fifth to 12th defendants, were each ordered to pay $50,000 as restitution.
Reacting to the judgement, the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.) described the conviction as a major warning to international drug trafficking syndicates.
Marwa, in a statement issued on Thursday by the Director of Media and Advocacy at the NDLEA Headquarters, Abuja, Femi Babafemi, said the judgement showed that Nigeria would not tolerate the use of its ports or waters for narcotics trafficking.
He said the conviction of the vessel and its crew members sent “a resounding message to every drug trafficking network in the world that Nigeria is no longer a safe corridor for cocaine or any other illicit substance.”
According to him, the case is another proof of the agency’s growing success in tracking and prosecuting drug traffickers using Nigeria’s entry points.
“This judgment is the third of its kind in recent times, following the convictions of foreign nationals and vessels on similar charges. Let it be known that these are not coincidences, they are the direct result of deliberate, intelligence-led operations by our officers who remain vigilant at every port of entry,” Marwa said.
The NDLEA boss warned that the agency would continue to go after drug traffickers, regardless of nationality or the route used to move illicit substances into the country.
He said, “The NDLEA will not relent. Whether you come by air, land, or sea; whether you are a Nigerian or a foreign national, if you attempt to use our waters as a narcotics highway, you will face the full weight of Nigerian law. Our courts have spoken, and we will continue to give them reason to speak. The war against drug trafficking is one we are winning and we intend to keep it that way.”
Marwa commended officers of the Apapa Strategic Command of the agency for their vigilance in detecting the cocaine consignment, which he said was buried deep within the cargo of a large commodity vessel.
He also praised the agency’s Directorate of Prosecution and Legal Services for its diligence in handling the case and securing the conviction.
The NDLEA chairman said the agency would continue to strengthen intelligence-led operations at seaports, airports and land borders to prevent Nigeria from being used as a route for illicit drug trafficking.
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