A Federal High Court in Lagos has convicted 11 Indian sailors and their merchant vessel, the MV Aruna Hulya, of trafficking 31.5 kilogrammes of cocaine into Nigeria, imposing fines and reparations of over $6 million.
The conviction came almost six months after National Narcotic Law Enforcement Agency agents arrested the crew and impounded the vessel after discovering the illicit narcotic at Lagos’ Apapa dock.
The cocaine was captured by NDLEA agents on January 2, 2026, during a check of the vessel at the GDNL terminal at Apapa Port, when 31.5 kg of cocaine was discovered stowed in Hatch 3 of the ship that had arrived from the Marshall Islands.
Sharma Bhushan, the vessel’s master, and ten other crew members were later charged with two counts in suit number FHC/L/56C/2026 by Justice Joseph Aneke of the Federal High Court in Lagos.
The remaining defendants are Bharati Kumar, Nevage Suresh, Pandey Prashant, Nuttu Anand, Akash Babu, Nilesh Bhalerad, Melethil Insaf Rahman, Barla Krishna, Prabhasukhan Singu, and Jai Parkash.
According to a statement issued on Thursday by the NDLEA’s spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, Justice Aneke accepted the plea bargain deal reached between the prosecution and the defence and convicted all 12 suspects under Section 25 of the Act.
According to the terms of the judgement, each defendant was compelled to pay a fine of N100,000, which is the statutory punishment stipulated under the Act.
In addition, the MV Aruna Hulya was ordered to pay $5.3 million in compensation to the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“After months before the court, the trial judge on Thursday, 11th June 2026, 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 100,000 Naira 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 $5,300,000 or its equivalent in naira,” the judge was quoted as saying.
The court also ordered the vessel’s three principal officers, Sharma Shashi Bhushan, Nilesh Mukuno Bhalerad, and Melethil Insaf Rahman, to pay $100,000 in compensation to the federal government.
The remaining crew members, identified as the fifth through twelfth offenders, were ordered to pay $50,000 apiece in restitution.
In response to the verdict, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), Chairman and CEO of the NDLEA, regarded the conviction as a strong warning to worldwide drug trafficking syndicates.
He said, “This judgement 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.”
Marwa mentioned that the ruling demonstrated that Nigeria would no longer serve as a transit route for illicit drugs.
“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 stated.
The NDLEA chief also congratulated officers from the agency’s Apapa Strategic Command for discovering the cocaine shipment hidden in the vessel’s cargo area, as well as the Directorate of Prosecution and Legal Services for obtaining the conviction.
