Justice Joseph Chukwujekwu Aneke of the Federal High Court in Lagos has convicted 11 Indian sailors and their merchant vessel, MV Aruna Hulya, for importing 31.5 kilogrammes of cocaine into Nigeria through the Lagos Port Complex Apapa, imposing fines and restitution totalling about $6 million.
The conviction follows the seizure of the illicit consignment by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) at the GDNL terminal on 2 January 2026. The cocaine was concealed in hatch three of the vessel, which had sailed from the Marshall Islands.
The convicted crew members include the vessel’s master, Sharma Shashi Bhushan, alongside 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.
Delivering judgment on 11 June, Justice Aneke adopted a plea bargain agreement between the prosecution and defence and convicted all 12 defendants under Section 25 of the NDLEA Act. Each defendant was fined ₦100,000. The court further ordered the vessel to pay $5.3 million, or its naira equivalent, as restitution to the Federal Government.
Three principal officers of the vessel — Sharma Shashi Bhushan, Nilesh Mukuno Bhalerad and Melethil Insaf Rahman — were directed to pay $100,000 each, while the remaining crew members were ordered to pay $50,000 each in restitution. NDLEA Chairman, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), described the conviction as a clear warning to international drug trafficking syndicates seeking to use Nigeria as a transit route for narcotics.
He said the case was the third recent conviction involving foreign nationals and vessels on similar charges, attributing the outcome to intelligence-led operations by NDLEA officers. According to him, the successful prosecution underscores Nigeria’s resolve to combat transnational drug trafficking and protect its maritime gateways from criminal exploitation.