Court convicts 11 Indian sailors, orders $6m penalty over cocaine smuggling

A Federal High Court in Lagos has convicted 11 Indian sailors and their vessel, MV Aruna Hulya, over the importation of 31.5 kilograms of cocaine into Nigeria, imposing fines and restitution amounting to nearly $6 million.

The vessel and its crew were arrested by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) after the illicit consignment was discovered during a routine inspection at Apapa Port in January 2026.

The ship had arrived from the Marshall Islands when the cocaine was found concealed inside one of its cargo compartments.

Delivering judgment, Justice Joseph Aneke upheld a plea bargain agreement reached between the prosecution and the defence, convicting all defendants under the NDLEA Act.

The court ordered each of the 11 crew members to pay a fine of N100,000, while the vessel was directed to pay $5.3 million in restitution to the Federal Government.

Three principal officers aboard the ship were further ordered to pay $100,000 each, while the remaining crew members were directed to pay $50,000 each as restitution.

Reacting to the judgment, NDLEA Chairman, Brig.-Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), described the ruling as a strong warning to international drug trafficking networks, stressing that Nigeria would no longer serve as a transit route for narcotics.

Marwa said the conviction reflects the agency’s growing success in intelligence-driven operations and reaffirmed its commitment to intercepting illicit drugs at the nation’s air, land and sea entry points.