Six months after NDLEA arrested them at Apapa port, 11 Indian sailors and their vessel, MV Aruna Hulya, have been convicted and fined $6 million for smuggling 31.5kg of cocaine into Nigeria. Operatives discovered the drugs concealed in hatch 3 of the ship at GDNL terminal on 2 January 2026. On 11 June 2026, Justice Joseph Chukwujekwu Aneke of the Federal High Court, Lagos, delivered judgment in suit FHC/L/56C/2026. All 12 defendants were convicted under Section 25 of the NDLEA Act and fined 100,000 naira each. The vessel must pay $5,300,000 restitution, while three principal officers pay $100,000 each and the remaining crew $50,000 each.
NDLEA Chairman Brig Gen Mohamed Buba Marwa (rtd) said the ruling sends a strong message that “Nigeria is no longer a safe corridor for cocaine or any other illicit substance.” He noted this is the third recent conviction of foreign vessels and nationals, calling it proof of deliberate, intelligence-driven operations at all ports of entry. Marwa warned drug networks that whether by air, land, or sea, and whether Nigerian or foreign, traffickers using Nigerian waters will face the full weight of the law.
Marwa commended the Apapa Strategic Command for uncovering the cocaine hidden in a bulk cargo vessel, and the Agency’s Directorate of Prosecution and Legal Services for securing the conviction. He reaffirmed NDLEA’s resolve to sustain the offensive against drug trafficking, stressing that vigilance at entry points and diligent prosecution will keep Nigeria ahead in the war against narcotics.
