Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
The Federal High Court in Lagos on Thursday convicted 11 Indian sailors and their merchant vessel, MV Aruna Hulya, for trafficking 31.5 kilograms of cocaine into Nigeria and ordered the ship to pay restitution of $5.3 million to the Federal Government.
The judgment, delivered by Justice Joseph Aneke, capped a months-long legal process that began with the arrest of the crew and the seizure of the vessel on January 2, 2026, when operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) discovered the cocaine concealed in Hatch 3 of the ship at the GDNL terminal, Apapa Port, Lagos. The vessel had arrived from the Marshall Islands.
The court convicted all 12 defendants under Section 25 of the NDLEA Act, adopting a plea bargain agreement entered into by the prosecution and defence. Each of the 11 Indian nationals was ordered to pay a fine of N100,000, the statutory penalty prescribed under the law. In addition, the vessel, listed as the first defendant, was ordered to pay restitution of $5.3 million or its equivalent in naira to the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
The three principal officers of the vessel – the master, Sharma Shashi Bhushan, along with Nilesh Mukuno Bhalerad and Melethil Insaf Rahman – were also ordered to pay $100,000 each in restitution. The remaining eight crew members were ordered to pay $50,000 each. In total, the fines and restitution amount to approximately $6 million.
The convicted sailors are Sharma Shashi Bhushan, 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. They were arraigned on a two‑count charge in suit number FHC/L/56C/2026.
Reacting to the judgment, NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), described the conviction as a strong warning to international drug trafficking syndicates. “This judgment is the third of its kind in recent times, following the convictions of foreign nationals and vessels on similar charges,” Marwa said. “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 added that the ruling demonstrated that Nigeria would no longer serve as a transit route for illicit drugs. “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,” he warned.
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