June 12, (THEWILL) — A Federal High Court in Lagos has convicted 11 Indian sailors and their merchant vessel, MV Aruna Hulya, over the trafficking of 31.5 kilograms of cocaine into Nigeria, imposing cumulative fines and restitution totaling $6 million in what authorities have described as another major breakthrough in the country’s war against international drug trafficking.
The judgment, delivered on Thursday by Justice Joseph Chukwujekwu Aneke of the Federal High Court, Lagos, came nearly six months after operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) arrested the foreign crew members and seized the vessel following the discovery of the illicit consignment at the Apapa seaport in Lagos.
According to details released by the anti-narcotics agency, NDLEA operatives intercepted the cocaine shipment on January 2, 2026, after uncovering 31.5 kilograms of cocaine concealed inside hatch three of the vessel while it berthed at the GDNL terminal at Apapa Port.
The merchant vessel, which had arrived in Nigeria from the Marshall Islands, was immediately taken into custody alongside all crew members onboard.
Those arraigned before the court included the ship’s Master, Sharma Shashi Bhushan, and 10 other Indian 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.
The defendants were prosecuted under a two-count charge filed by NDLEA in suit number FHC/L/56C/2026.
Following several months of legal proceedings, both the prosecution and defence filed plea bargain agreements, which the court adopted before handing down judgment on Thursday.
Justice Aneke convicted all 12 defendants, including the vessel itself, under Section 25 of the NDLEA Act.
As part of the sentence, each of the defendants was ordered to pay a statutory fine of N100,000, while the vessel, listed as the first defendant in the matter, was directed to pay $5.3 million in restitution to the Federal Government of Nigeria or its equivalent in naira.
In addition, three principal officers aboard the ship — Sharma Shashi Bhushan, Nilesh Mukuno Bhalerad and Melethil Insaf Rahman — were each ordered to pay $100,000 in restitution.
The remaining crew members, listed as the fifth to twelfth defendants, were also ordered to pay $50,000 each, bringing the total financial sanctions imposed in the case to approximately $6 million.
Reacting to the landmark judgment, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brigadier General Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd), said the conviction sends a strong warning to international narcotics syndicates that Nigeria can no longer be exploited as a transit route for illicit substances.
According to Marwa, the judgment reinforces the country’s growing reputation for aggressively confronting transnational drug trafficking operations.
“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.
He stressed that the agency would sustain pressure on both local and international trafficking syndicates attempting to move narcotics through Nigerian territory.
“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,” he added.
Marwa further commended officers and personnel of the Apapa Strategic Command of the agency for what he described as exceptional vigilance in uncovering the cocaine consignment hidden deep within the cargo hold of the vessel. He also praised NDLEA’s Directorate of Prosecution and Legal Services for successfully prosecuting the case to conviction.
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