Court Convicts Vessel, 11 Indian Crew Members Over 31.5kg Cocaine Smuggling Into Nigeria

Some of the Convicted India Citizens Nabbed for Smuggling Cocaine into Nigeria

Justice Chukwujekwu Aneke of a Federal High Court, Lagos, has convicted a cargo vessel, MV Aruna Hulya, and its 11 Indian crew members for their roles in the unlawful transportation of 31.5 kilograms of cocaine from Brazil to Nigeria.

Justice Aneke convicted the vessel and its crews on Thursday,  following plea bargain agreements entered into by the defendants and the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).

Those convicted alongside the vessel include; the ship’s captain, Sharma Shashi Bhushan, Manoj Kumar Bharati, Nevage Sandesh Suresh, Pandey Prashant, Nuttu Anand, Akash Babu, Nilesh Mukuno Bhalerad, Melethil Insaf Rahman, Barla Chitanya Krishna, Prabhasukhan Singu, and Jai Parkash.

According to the amended charge marked FHC/L/56C/2026, the vessel and its officers failed to take reasonable precautions to prevent the ship from being used in the commission of a drug trafficking offence. 

The negligence resulted in the unlawful transportation of 31.5 kilograms of cocaine from Santos, Brazil, to Lagos, Nigeria, between November 2025 and January 2026.

The prosecutor, Barrister Adekunle Adebajo, informed the court that the illicit substance was discovered on January 2, 2026, during cargo discharge operations aboard the vessel at the GDNL Terminal in Apapa, Lagos. And that investigations by the NDLEA subsequently led to the arraignment of the vessel and its crew on charges bordering on conspiracy, importation and transportation of narcotic drugs.

At the arraignment of the vessel and its crews, the prosecutor prayed the court to strike out the charges and replaced with an amended one with two counts which consisted of conspiracy to transport and import cocaine as well as unlawful importation of the narcotic substance. 

The prosecutor also informed the court of a plea bargain agreement between the defendants and the prosecution. 

The prosecutor informed the court that the plea bargain agreement was executed on June 10, 2026, and it is pursuant to Section 270 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA), the Federal Republic of Nigeria agreed to reduce the charges to a lesser offence under Section 25 of the NDLEA Act.

Convicts counsel, Barrister Adedoyin Afun, confirmed the prosecution’s position, and equally prayed the court to grant the plea bargain agreement.

As part of the agreement, the captain pleaded guilty to the amended charge and accepted responsibility for failing to prevent the vessel from being used for drug trafficking.

Justice Aneke subsequently convicted the defendants and imposed the agreed penalties. Under the terms of the plea bargain, each of the convicts are to pay a fine of N100,000 and make restitution of $100,000 to the Federal Government. 

The funds are to be paid into the Treasury Single Account through the NDLEA’s designated forfeited funds account.

The agreement further provides that upon payment of the fines and restitution, the captain’s passport, mobile phones and other seized documents will be returned, while Nigerian authorities will not reopen investigations or institute fresh proceedings against him in connection with the cocaine seizure aboard MV Aruna Hulya.

The conviction marks another significant victory in the NDLEA’s ongoing campaign against international drug trafficking through Nigeria’s maritime corridors.