Court convicts 11 Indian sailors, vessel over cocaine importation, imposes $6m fine

In a significant ruling, the Federal High Court in Lagos has convicted 11 Indian sailors and their merchant vessel, MV Aruna Hulya, for the importation of 31.5 kilograms of cocaine into Nigeria. The court also mandated fines and restitution amounting to nearly $6 million. This judgment follows a plea bargain agreement reached between the prosecution and the defense teams.

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) reported that the vessel and its crew were apprehended on January 2, 2026. Operatives discovered the cocaine concealed within Hatch 3 of the ship at the GDNL Terminal in Apapa, Lagos. The convicted crew members include the ship's master, Sharma Shashi Bhushan, along with 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 before trial judge Joseph Aneke.

Delivering the judgment, Justice Aneke convicted the 11 crew members and the vessel under Section 25 of the NDLEA Act. Each sailor was ordered to pay a statutory fine of N100,000. Additionally, the vessel, MV Aruna Hulya, was directed to pay $5.3 million in restitution to the Nigerian government. Three principal officers, Sharma Shashi Bhushan, Nilesh Mukuno Bhalerad, and Melethil Insaf Rahman, were ordered to pay $100,000 each, while the remaining crew members were each ordered to pay $50,000.

This conviction underscores Nigeria's intensified efforts to combat international drug trafficking syndicates using its seaports. Recent years have seen numerous interceptions of cocaine and other illicit drugs concealed in cargo arriving via maritime routes. The NDLEA's increasing reliance on intelligence-led operations and inter-agency collaboration is crucial in disrupting organized narcotics networks. Nigeria's strategic location as a major West African commercial hub makes its ports attractive to traffickers, prompting enhanced surveillance and cargo inspections by security agencies.

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The conviction is a strong warning to international drug trafficking syndicates seeking to use Nigeria as a transit route.