Lagos Court Fines Ship, 10 Sailors $6 Million for Cocaine Smuggling

A Federal High Court in Lagos has convicted 10 Filipino sailors and their merchant vessel, MV Nord Bosporus, imposing fines totalling $6 million and ₦1.1 million for trafficking cocaine into Nigeria.

The arrest followed the seizure of 20 kilograms of cocaine aboard the vessel at the Apapa seaport in November 2025 by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency.

The defendants were arraigned on a four-count charge and later entered a plea bargain.

Delivering judgment, Justice Ayokunle Faji found the vessel guilty under Section 25 of the NDLEA Act.

“The judge ordered the vessel to pay the sum of N100,000 penalty for the offence and a restitution in the sum of Five Million Three Hundred and Fifty Thousand US dollars to the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”

The three principal officers were each fined ₦100,000 and ordered to pay $100,000 in restitution, while the remaining crew members were fined ₦100,000 each with restitution payments of $50,000 per person.

Reacting, NDLEA Chairman, Mohamed Buba Marwa, described the ruling as a major step in the fight against drug trafficking.

“This is a resounding victory for the rule of law and a powerful testament to the renewed vigour of the NDLEA in our mission to rid Nigeria of illicit drugs,” he said.

“The imposition of a $6 million fine equally serves as a stark, expensive lesson to international drug cartels and their local collaborators that Nigeria’s territorial waters are no longer a playground for the illicit narcotics trade.”

“Let this judgment be an unambiguous signal to every shipping line, vessel owner, and sailor worldwide that if you turn your ships into floating warehouses for illicit drugs, you will not only lose your freedom but also your assets. We have moved beyond mere seizures; we are now hitting the syndicates where it hurts most, their pockets and their operational assets.”