Nigerian Court Convicts 11 Indian Sailors, Imposes $6 Million Fine Over Cocaine Trafficking
A Federal High Court in Lagos has convicted 11 Indian sailors and their merchant vessel, MV Aruna Hulya, for their involvement in the trafficking of 31.5 kilograms of cocaine into Nigeria through the Apapa Seaport. The conviction comes barely six months after operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) intercepted the vessel and discovered the illicit drug concealed in Hatch 3 of the ship at the GDNL Terminal in Apapa, Lagos. According to the NDLEA, the vessel arrived from the Marshall Islands and was arrested on January 2, 2026, following the discovery of the cocaine consignment. The crew members arrested alongside the vessel included the ship's master, Sharma Shashi Bhushan, and ten other Indian nationals: 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. The defendants were arraigned before Jus...