LAGOS, Nigeria — A Federal High Court in Lagos has convicted an Indian merchant vessel and 11 crew members, ordering them to pay a combined $6 million in fines and restitution over the importation of 31.5 kilograms of cocaine into Nigeria through the Apapa seaport.
Okay News reports that the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) disclosed the conviction in a statement issued on Thursday, June 12, 2026, by its Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, noting that the ruling came barely six months after the cocaine was discovered aboard MV Aruna Hulya during a routine inspection on January 2, 2026.
The vessel’s master, Sharma Shashi Bhushan, alongside 10 other crew members, was arraigned before Justice Joseph Chukwujekwu Aneke on a two-count charge under suit number FHC/L/56C/2026. Delivering judgment on June 11, 2026, the court adopted plea bargain terms submitted by both the prosecution and defence, convicting all 12 defendants under Section 25 of the NDLEA Act.
“Barely six months after their arrest by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency for importing 31.5 kilograms of cocaine from Marshall Islands into Nigeria through the Apapa seaport in Lagos, 11 Indian sailors and their merchant vessel marked MV Aruna Hulya have been convicted and fined a total of Six Million US Dollars ($6 million) by a Federal High Court in Lagos,” the NDLEA statement read.
The court ordered each crew member to pay a fine of N100,000 (approximately $65), while MV Aruna Hulya was directed to pay $5.3 million or its naira equivalent as restitution to the Federal Government of Nigeria. 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 directed to pay $50,000 each in restitution.
NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), described the ruling as the third similar conviction in recent times involving foreign nationals and vessels. “This conviction sends a strong message to international drug trafficking networks that Nigeria is no longer a safe transit route for cocaine and other illicit substances,” Marwa said.
Marwa commended officers of the Apapa Strategic Command for uncovering the cocaine consignment and praised the agency’s Directorate of Prosecution and Legal Services for securing the conviction.
In May 2025, the NDLEA secured the conviction of 10 Thai sailors and their vessel, MV Chayanee Naree, over the smuggling of 32.9 kilograms of cocaine through the Apapa seaport, with the court imposing a $4.36 million fine on the vessel and crew.
In the first quarter of 2026, the agency recorded 974 convictions nationwide, including 11 major drug kingpins who collectively received 254 years in prison.
