A Federal High Court in Lagos has convicted 11 Indian sailors and a merchant vessel, MV Aruna Hulya, for smuggling 31.5 kilogrammes of cocaine into Nigeria, imposing financial penalties exceeding $6 million in one of the country’s most significant narcotics trafficking cases involving foreign nationals.
The judgment, delivered on Thursday by Justice Joseph Chukwujekwu Aneke, followed the successful prosecution of the vessel and its crew by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).
The vessel and its crew were arrested in January after NDLEA operatives discovered 31.5 kilogrammes of cocaine concealed in Hatch 3 of the ship at the GDNL Terminal in Apapa Port, Lagos. Investigations revealed that the illicit consignment originated from the Marshall Islands before being intercepted at the nation’s busiest seaport.
Those convicted include the ship’s master, Sharma Shashi Bhushan, alongside crew members 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 arraigned on charges relating to the unlawful importation of narcotic drugs contrary to the provisions of the NDLEA Act.
In endorsing a plea bargain agreement between the prosecution and defence, the court convicted all defendants and imposed a range of financial sanctions. Each of the convicted individuals was ordered to pay a statutory fine of N100,000, while the vessel was directed to pay $5.3 million in restitution to the Federal Government.
The court further ordered three senior officers of the vessel — Sharma Shashi Bhushan, Nilesh Mukuno Bhalerad and Melethil Insaf Rahman — to pay $100,000 each in restitution. The remaining crew members were directed to pay $50,000 each.
The ruling represents one of the most substantial penalties imposed in a drug trafficking case involving a foreign vessel in Nigeria in recent years.
Reacting to the judgment, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the NDLEA, Brigadier General Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), said the conviction sends a strong signal to international drug trafficking syndicates seeking to use Nigeria as a transit route for illicit narcotics.
He stated that the country would not tolerate attempts by criminal organisations to exploit its ports, waterways and borders for the movement of prohibited substances.
Marwa noted that the conviction is the third major drug trafficking case in recent times involving foreign nationals and vessels, highlighting the effectiveness of the agency’s intelligence-led operations.
According to him, the NDLEA’s surveillance and enforcement network now covers key entry points into the country, warning that traffickers, irrespective of nationality, would face the full weight of the law.
The NDLEA boss commended officers of the Apapa Strategic Command for uncovering the concealed cocaine shipment and praised the agency’s Directorate of Prosecution and Legal Services for securing the convictions.
The judgment is expected to bolster Nigeria’s anti-narcotics campaign and reinforce efforts to dismantle transnational criminal networks operating through the country’s maritime corridors.
Security experts say the ruling underscores Nigeria’s determination to strengthen border security and disrupt international drug trafficking operations that threaten public safety and national security.
