A Federal High Court in Lagos has dealt a major blow to international drug trafficking networks, convicting 11 Indian sailors and a merchant vessel for smuggling 31.5 kilogrammes of cocaine into Nigeria and imposing financial penalties totaling more than $6 million.
The landmark judgment, delivered on Thursday by Justice Joseph Chukwujekwu Aneke, followed the successful prosecution of the foreign crew members and their vessel, MV Aruna Hulya, by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).
The vessel and its crew were arrested in January after NDLEA operatives uncovered 31.5 kilogrammes of cocaine concealed within Hatch 3 of the ship at the GDNL terminal in Apapa Port, Lagos. Investigators said the illicit consignment had been transported from the Marshall Islands before being intercepted at Nigeria’s busiest seaport.
Among those convicted were the ship’s master, Sharma Shashi Bhushan, and ten 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.
The defendants had been standing trial on charges bordering on unlawful importation of narcotic drugs under the NDLEA Act.
In approving a plea bargain agreement reached by the prosecution and defence, the court convicted all twelve defendants and imposed various financial sanctions. While each defendant was ordered to pay a statutory fine of N100,000, the vessel itself was directed to pay restitution of $5.3 million to the Federal Government.
The court further ordered three senior officers of the ship — 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 judgment marks one of the most significant drug trafficking convictions involving foreign nationals and a foreign vessel in Nigeria in recent years.
Reacting to the ruling, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the NDLEA, Buba Marwa, said the verdict sends a strong warning to international drug syndicates seeking to use Nigerian territory as a transit route for narcotics.
He declared that Nigeria would no longer tolerate attempts by criminal organisations to exploit its ports, waterways and borders for the movement of illicit substances.
According to Marwa, the conviction is the third major case in recent times involving foreign nationals and vessels engaged in drug trafficking, underscoring the growing effectiveness of the agency’s intelligence-driven operations.
He stressed that the agency’s surveillance network now extends across all entry points into the country and warned that anyone involved in trafficking narcotics into Nigeria, regardless of nationality, would face severe legal consequences.
The NDLEA boss commended officers of the Apapa Strategic Command for their vigilance and professionalism in uncovering the cocaine shipment hidden deep within the cargo vessel. He also praised the agency’s Directorate of Prosecution and Legal Services for securing the successful conviction.
The latest judgment is expected to strengthen Nigeria’s anti-narcotics campaign and reinforce the country’s determination to disrupt international drug trafficking routes that pass through its maritime corridors.
For law enforcement authorities, the ruling represents more than a courtroom victory; it is a statement that Nigeria is intensifying efforts to protect its borders and dismantle transnational criminal networks that profit from the global drug trade.
