Ten Filipino sailors and their merchant vessel, MV Nord Bosporus, have been convicted and fined a total of $6 million and N1.1 million by a Federal High Court in Lagos over the importation of cocaine into Nigeria through the Apapa seaport.
This was disclosed on Wednesday, March 18, 2026, in a statement published on the NDLEA website and signed by the Agency’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi.
The conviction comes barely four months after operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) arrested the vessel and its crew following the seizure of 20 kilograms of cocaine on board at the Apapa seaport in Lagos on November 16, 2025.
The agency subsequently filed a four-count charge against the defendants, who later entered a plea bargain agreement.
What they are saying
The NDLEA described the conviction as a major milestone in its intensified crackdown on drug trafficking networks operating through Nigeria’s territorial waters.
- “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,” the agency stated in part.
Delivering judgment, Justice Ayokunle Faji of the Federal High Court 2, Lagos, found the vessel guilty under Section 25 of the NDLEA Act and imposed financial penalties on both the vessel and its crew members.
The court ordered the vessel to pay a penalty of N100,000 and restitution of $5.35 million, while the three principal officers were each fined N100,000 and ordered to pay $100,000 in restitution. Other crew members were also fined N100,000 each alongside restitution payments of $50,000 each, bringing the total financial penalty to $6 million and N1.1 million.
Reacting, NDLEA Chairman/Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (rtd), said the ruling sends a strong message to international drug syndicates.
- “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,” he said.
Backstory
Nairametrics had closely followed the case from the point of interception through to prosecution.
On November 21, Nairametrics reported that the NDLEA intercepted 20 kilograms of cocaine concealed on a Brazil-bound vessel, MV Nord Bosporus, at the Apapa seaport in Lagos.
In mid-December, Nairametrics also disclosed that the agency secured a Federal High Court order to detain a commodity vessel and its crew members over a separate cocaine seizure at the same port.
The order, granted by Justice Frida Nkemakonam Ogazi, authorised the detention of the vessel, MV San Antonio, its captain, and crew for 14 days pending the conclusion of investigations and the filing of criminal charges.
These developments highlighted a growing pattern of drug trafficking attempts through Nigeria’s busiest port, with the MV Nord Bosporus case progressing from seizure to conviction within months.
What you should know
The ongoing crackdown on drug trafficking in Nigeria has revealed that foreign nationals are increasingly involved in the illicit trade.
In a similar case reported by Nairametrics on May 15, 2025, the NDLEA secured the conviction of 10 Thai sailors and their vessel, MV Chayanee Naree, over the smuggling of 32.9 kilograms of cocaine into Nigeria through the Apapa seaport. The Federal High Court imposed a total fine of $4.36 million on the vessel and its crew.
Apapa Port has, in recent months, emerged as a major hotspot for smuggling activities.
In a report published on March 17, the Apapa Command of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) announced the seizure of 3,398 cartons of codeine syrup valued at N3.39 billion at the port.
A week earlier, the NCS disclosed the interception of 13 containers loaded with expired drugs, food items, and restricted security equipment worth N6.38 billion at Apapa Port.
- Reacting to the trend, Comptroller-General of the NCS, Bashir Adeniyi, stated, “Let me state clearly that Apapa Port is no longer a playground for smugglers hiding behind legitimate trade documentation.”
It is also estimated that between November 19 and 20, 2025, NDLEA operatives recovered tramadol pills and codeine syrups worth about N6.7 billion during a sting operation that dismantled a major opioid cartel operating from a residential estate in the Isolo area of Lagos.
These incidents underscore the scale of drug trafficking networks and the increasing pressure on enforcement agencies to curb the menace.
