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.
The conviction followed a case instituted by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) after operatives intercepted the illicit substance onboard the vessel in January 2026.
The NDLEA had on January 2, 2026, discovered the cocaine hidden in Hatch 3 of the vessel at the GDNL Terminal, Apapa Port, Lagos. The ship had reportedly arrived in Nigeria from the Marshall Islands.
Following the discovery, the vessel and its crew members were taken into custody and later arraigned before Justice Joseph Chukwujekwu Aneke of the Federal High Court, Lagos, on a two-count charge.
The convicted crew members include the vessel’s captain, Sharma Shashi Bhushan, alongside 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.
Delivering judgment on Thursday, June 11, 2026, Justice Aneke approved the plea bargain arrangement reached between the prosecution and defence teams.
The court convicted all 12 defendants, including the vessel, under Section 25 of the NDLEA Act and imposed a fine of ₦100,000 on each defendant.
Beyond the fines, the court ordered the vessel, listed as the first defendant, to pay restitution of $5.3 million or its naira equivalent to the Federal Government.
Three principal officers of the ship; Sharma Shashi Bhushan, Nilesh Mukuno Bhalerad and Melethil Insaf Rahman; were each ordered to pay $100,000 restitution.
Other crew members were ordered to pay $50,000 each as restitution.
Reacting to the judgment, the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (rtd), described the conviction as a strong warning to international drug trafficking networks.
Marwa said the judgment demonstrated that Nigeria would not allow its ports, waters or borders to be used as channels for transporting illegal drugs.
He added that the conviction was a result of intelligence-driven operations by NDLEA officers and reaffirmed the agency’s commitment to prosecuting drug traffickers regardless of their nationality or method of operation.
The NDLEA chairman commended officers of the Apapa Strategic Command for detecting the cocaine consignment concealed within the vessel’s cargo, as well as the agency’s legal team for securing the conviction.
He assured that the agency would continue strengthening surveillance and enforcement operations across seaports, airports and land borders to prevent Nigeria from becoming a route for illicit drug trafficking.
AIV NEWS reports that the case adds to recent convictions involving foreign nationals and vessels linked to drug trafficking activities in Nigeria.
