Court Convicts 11 Indian Sailors, Vessel Over 31.5kg Cocaine Smuggling, Imposes $6 Million Penalty
A Federal High Court sitting 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 through the Apapa seaport, imposing a combined financial penalty and restitution amounting to six million United States dollars.
The landmark judgement, delivered on Thursday, June 11, 2026, followed the successful prosecution of the crew members and the vessel by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), barely six months after the illicit consignment was intercepted at the Lagos port.
The Indian nationals and their vessel were arrested on January 2, 2026, after NDLEA operatives discovered 31.5 kilograms of cocaine concealed in Hatch Three of the ship while it was berthed at the Greenview Development Nigeria Limited (GDNL) terminal at Apapa.
The vessel’s master, Sharma Shashi Bhushan, alongside 10 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, were subsequently arraigned before Justice Joseph Chukwujekwu Aneke of the Federal High Court, Lagos, on a two-count charge in suit number FHC/L/56C/2026.
After several months of legal proceedings, the prosecution and defence entered into a plea bargain arrangement, upon which the court delivered its ruling.
Justice Aneke convicted all 12 defendants under Section 25 of the NDLEA Act and imposed a fine of N100,000 on each defendant, being the statutory penalty prescribed for the offence.
Beyond the fines, the court ordered the first defendant, MV Aruna Hulya, to pay restitution to the Federal Republic of Nigeria in the sum of 5.3 million dollars or its equivalent in naira.
The court further directed three principal officers of the vessel – Sharma Shashi Bhushan, Nilesh Mukuno Bhalerad and Melethil Insaf Rahman – to pay 100,000 dollars each in restitution to the Federal Government.
The remaining crew members, listed as the fifth to twelfth defendants, were ordered to pay restitution of 50,000 dollars each.
Reacting to the judgement, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the NDLEA, retired Brigadier-General Mohamed Buba Marwa, described the conviction as a strong warning to international drug trafficking syndicates seeking to use Nigeria as a transit route for narcotics.
According to him, the ruling demonstrates that Nigeria is no longer a safe corridor for cocaine or any other illicit substance.
Marwa noted that the judgement represented the third recent conviction involving foreign nationals and vessels engaged in drug trafficking, attributing the successes to intelligence-driven operations conducted by NDLEA personnel across the country’s ports of entry.
“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,” he said.
He stressed that the anti-narcotics agency would remain relentless in pursuing traffickers irrespective of their nationality or mode of entry into the country.
“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,” Marwa declared.
The NDLEA boss commended officers and personnel of the Apapa Strategic Command for their vigilance in uncovering the cocaine shipment hidden deep inside the cargo compartment of the massive merchant vessel.
He also praised the Agency’s Directorate of Prosecution and Legal Services for what he described as their diligence and professionalism in securing the convictions.
The ruling marks another major victory for Nigeria’s anti-drug campaign and underscores the increasing determination of authorities to clamp down on international trafficking networks exploiting the country’s maritime corridors for illicit trade.
