A Federal High Court in Lagos has convicted 11 Indian sailors and their merchant vessel marked MV Aruna Hulya and fined them $6m for importing cocaine from Marshall Islands into Nigeria through the Apapa seaport
The conviction is coming barely six months after their arrest by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) in Lagos.
The Agency took into custody the Indian crew members and their merchant vessel, MV Aruna Hulya, following the discovery of 31.5 kilograms of cocaine in hatch 3 of the ship on Friday 2nd January 2026.
The Master of the Vessel, Sharma Shashi Bhushan and 10 other crew members, namely: 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 were eventually arraigned on two counts charge in suit number FHC/ L/56C/2026 before Joseph Chukwujekwu Aneke of the Federal High Court, Lagos.
After months before the court, the trial judge on Thursday, June 11 delivered his ruling on plea bargain terms filed by the prosecution and defence in the case. As a result, all 12 defendants were convicted under Section 25 of the NDLEA Act and sentenced to pay the sum of N100,000 each which is the penalty for the offence under the Act. In addition, the 1st defendant, which is the vessel, is to pay restitution to the Federal Republic of Nigeria in the sum of Five Million Three Hundred Thousand US dollars ($5,300,000) or its equivalent in Naira.
The three principal officers of the vessel who are the 2nd, 3rd and 4th defendants, namely: Sharma Shashi Bhushan; Nilesh Mukuno Bhalerad; and Melethil Insaf Rahman are also to pay restitution to the Federal Government in the sum of 100,000 US dollars each, while other crew members, the 5th to 12th defendants are to pay their restitution in the sum of 50, 000 US dollars each.
Reacting to the landmark judgement, Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig Gen Mohamed Buba Marwa (rtd) noted that the conviction of the vessel and its crew members sends 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,
“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.
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 commended the officers, men and women of the Apapa Strategic Command of the Agency for their vigilance in identifying the cocaine consignment buried deep within the cargo of a massive commodity vessel.
He specifically expressed appreciation to the Agency’s Directorate of Prosecution and Legal Services for their diligence in the prosecution of the case.
