Written by
Ishioma Appiah-Yeboah
The National drug law enforcement agency NDLEA has delivered a strong warning to international drug trafficking syndicates following the conviction of 11 Indian sailors and their cargo vessel, MV Aruna Hulya, over the importation of 31.5 kilograms of cocaine through the Apapa Seaport in Lagos.
In a landmark judgment delivered by the Federal High Court in Lagos, the vessel and its crew were ordered to pay a combined penalty and restitution of six million U.S. dollars, barely six months after they were arrested by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA.
In a statement signed by the Director Media an advocacy Femi Babafemi , the cocaine consignment was discovered on January 2nd this year, hidden in Hatch Three of the vessel during an intensive inspection by NDLEA officers at the GDNL Terminal in Apapa.
However, Investigators traced the shipment to the Marshall Islands, leading to the arrest of the ship’s captain and ten other crew members.
After months of legal proceedings, Justice Joseph Aneke convicted all twelve defendants, including the vessel itself, under the NDLEA Act following a plea bargain agreement between prosecutors and the defence.
As part of the judgment, the vessel, MV Aruna Hulya, was ordered to pay 5.3 million dollars in restitution to the Federal Government. The ship’s captain and two senior officers were each directed to pay 100,000 dollars, while the remaining crew members are to pay 50,000 dollars each. All defendants were also fined 100,000 naira under the provisions of the law.
Reacting to the judgment, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the NDLEA, Brigadier General Buba Marwa retired described the ruling as a significant victory in Nigeria’s fight against international drug trafficking.
Marwa said the conviction sends a clear and unmistakable message to drug cartels across the world that Nigeria is no longer a safe transit route for cocaine or any other illicit substance.
According to him, whether traffickers attempt to move narcotics through the country’s airports, land borders, or seaports, they will face the full force of Nigerian law.
The NDLEA boss noted that this is the third recent conviction involving foreign nationals and vessels linked to drug trafficking, attributing the success to intelligence-driven operations and heightened vigilance by anti-narcotics officers.
He commended officers of the Apapa Strategic Command for uncovering the cocaine hidden deep within the vessel’s cargo hold and praised the agency’s legal team for securing the conviction.
The judgment is being seen as another major milestone in Nigeria’s efforts to dismantle transnational drug trafficking networks and strengthen security at its ports of entry.