Court fines Indian crew, vessel $6m over ‘31.5kg cocaine shipment’ into Nigeria

The federal high court in Lagos has convicted and fined 11 Indian sailors and their merchant vessel $6 million in fines and restitution over the importation of 31.5kg of cocaine.

A statement on Thursday by Femi Babafemi, spokesperson of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), said the sailors and the vessel — MV Aruna Hulya — were arrested after operatives uncovered 31.5kg of cocaine concealed in hatch three of the ship at the GDNL terminal in Apapa on January 2.

Babafemi noted that the vessel had arrived in Nigeria from the Marshall Islands.

He said Sharma Bhushan, the ship’s master, alongside 10 crew members — Bharati Kumar, Nevage Suresh, Pandey Prashant, Nuttu Anand, Akash Babu, Nilesh Bhalerad, Melethil Rahman, Barla Krishna, Prabhasukhan Singu and Jai Parkash — were subsequently arraigned.

According to the NDLEA, Joseph Aneke, the trial judge delivered the judgment on Thursday after considering plea bargain agreements filed by the prosecution and defence.

Babafemi said the court convicted all 12 defendants under section 25 of the NDLEA Act and imposed a fine of N100,000 on each of them.

According to him, Aneke also ordered the vessel, listed as the first defendant in the suit, to pay restitution of $5.3 million, or its naira equivalent, to the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

He said the court also directed three principal officers of the vessel — Sharma Shashi Bhushan, Nilesh Mukuno Bhalerad and Melethil Insaf Rahman — to pay restitution of $100,000 each.

The remaining crew members were ordered to pay restitution of $50,000 each.

Reacting to the judgment, Buba Marwa, NDLEA chairman and chief executive officer, said the conviction sends a clear message to international drug trafficking syndicates that Nigeria will not serve as a transit route for illicit substances.

“This judgment is the third of its kind in recent times, following the convictions of foreign nationals and vessels on similar charges,” he said.

“Let it be known that these are not coincidences; they are the direct result of deliberate, intelligence-led operations by our officers who remain vigilant at every port of entry.

Marwa commended officers of the agency’s Apapa Strategic Command for intercepting the cocaine shipment and praised the Directorate of Prosecution and Legal Services for its role in securing the conviction.

“The NDLEA will not relent. Whether you come by air, land, or sea; whether you are a Nigerian or a foreign national, if you attempt to use our waters as a narcotics highway, you will face the full weight of Nigerian law,” he added.

“Our courts have spoken, and we will continue to give them reason to speak. The war against drug trafficking is one we are winning and we intend to keep it that way.” (TheCable)