Cocaine trafficking: Court convicts 11 Indian sailors, orders ship to pay $5.3m

A Federal High Court in Lagos has convicted 11 Indian sailors and their merchant vessel, MV Aruna Hulya, for trafficking 31.5 kilograms of cocaine into Nigeria. The court imposed fines and ordered restitution totaling about $6 million.

The conviction follows the arrest of the crew and seizure of the vessel by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) in January 2026. The illicit drug was discovered concealed in Hatch 3 of the ship, which had arrived from the Marshall Islands.

The vessel's master, Sharma Shashi Bhushan, and 10 other crew members were arraigned before Justice Joseph Aneke. The court adopted a plea bargain agreement, convicting all 12 defendants under Section 25 of the NDLEA Act. Each sailor was fined 100,000 Naira.

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This judgment is the third of its kind in recent times, following the con

Additionally, the vessel, MV Aruna Hulya, was ordered to pay $5.3 million in restitution to Nigeria. The court also directed the vessel's three principal officers to pay $100,000 each, while the remaining crew members must pay $50,000 each.

NDLEA Chairman Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.) described the judgment as a significant warning to international drug trafficking syndicates.

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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