NDLEA secures cocaine conviction in Lagos as Indian sailors and vessel are fined $6m, with Marwa warning traffickers Nigeria is no safe route

The Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Brigadier General Mohamed Buba Marwa (rtd), on Thursday issued a stern warning to international drug trafficking networks after eleven Indian sailors and their merchant vessel, MV Aruna Hulya, were convicted and fined by the Federal High Court in Lagos over the importation of 31.5 kilograms of cocaine.

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Cocaine trafficking case ends in conviction in Lagos for NDLEA case followed the arrest of the crew at the GDNL Terminal, Apapa Port, on January 2, 2026, after operatives discovered the illicit substance concealed in hatch 3 of the vessel upon its arrival from the Marshall Islands.

The vessel’s master, Sharma Shashi Bhushan, alongside ten other crew members, was subsequently arraigned before Justice Joseph Chukwujekwu Aneke on a two count charge bordering on drug trafficking offences under the NDLEA Act.

Court proceedings revealed that both the prosecution and defence reached a plea bargain agreement, which formed the basis of the judgment delivered on Thursday.

Delivering the ruling, Justice Aneke convicted all twelve defendants and imposed a fine of 100,000 naira each.

The court also ordered the vessel to pay restitution of 5.3 million dollars to the Nigerian government or its naira equivalent.

In addition, three principal officers of the vessel were directed to pay 100,000 dollars each in restitution, while the remaining crew members were ordered to pay 50,000 dollars each.

Reacting to the judgment, Marwa described the conviction as a clear message to drug cartels, stressing that Nigeria is no longer a safe route for cocaine or any illicit substance.

He stated that the ruling marked the third recent conviction involving foreign nationals and vessels, describing it as evidence of sustained intelligence led operations by the agency.

Marwa praised NDLEA operatives at the Apapa Strategic Command for their vigilance in uncovering the concealed drugs, and commended the Directorate of Prosecution and Legal Services for their role in securing the conviction.

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He reiterated that the agency would maintain its offensive against drug trafficking networks across air, land, and sea, warning that anyone attempting to exploit Nigeria’s borders would face the full weight of the law.