…It’s an unambiguous signal that Nigeria’s territorial waters no longer a playground for drug cartels, says Marwa, commends NDLEA officers for diligent prosecution
WED MAR 18 2026-theGBJournal| Barely four months after their arrest by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) for importing 20 kilograms of cocaine from Santos Brazil into Nigeria through the Apapa seaport in Lagos, 10 Filipino sailors and their merchant vessel marked MV Nord Bosporus have been convicted and fined a total of Six Million US Dollars ($6million) as well as another penalty of One Million One Hundred Thousand Naira (N1.1million) by a Federal High Court in Lagos.
The merchant vessel and its crew members were arrested following the seizure of 20 kilograms of cocaine on board the ship by NDLEA officers at the Apapa seaport in Lagos on 16th November 2025. A four-count criminal charge was subsequently filed against them in suit number FHC/L/1232C/25 at the Federal High Court 2 in Lagos by a team of NDLEA prosecutors led by the Agency’s Director of Prosecution and Legal Services, Theresa Asuquo.
The vessel and its Filipino sailors, namely: Eugene Quinos Corpuz; Mark Joseph Jardiniano; Alexis Navidad Evarrola; Francis Gerard Niones Carpio; Franz Jude Mayran; Mahinay Junniel Lagura; Mario Ganiban Malvar; Hormachuelos Lordito Guivencan; Joshua Emmanuel Hufanda and Edwin Baltazar Reyes, however decided to plead guilty and enter a plea bargain agreement.
Delivering his ruling on the plea bargain agreement on Wednesday 18th March 2026, the trial judge, Justice Ayokunle Faji of the Federal High Court 2 Lagos found MV Nord Bosporus guilty for an offence 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 of the vessel who are the 2nd , 3rd and 4th defendants in the case were also convicted and sentenced to pay the sum of N100,000.00 each and a restitution of $100,000.00 each to the Federal Republic of Nigeria, while the 5th to 11th defendants were equally convicted and sentenced to pay N100,000.00 each in addition to a restitution of $50,000.00 each.
This brings the total fine to be paid to the Federal Government of Nigeria by the vessel and its 10 sailors to $6million and N1.1million as restitution and penalty respectively.
Reacting to the landmark judgement, Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig Gen Mohamed Buba Marwa (rtd) noted that the conviction of the vessel and its crew members “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 added that “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.”
He commended the officers and men of the Apapa Strategic Command of the Agency for their vigilance in identifying the cocaine consignment buried deep within the cargo of a massive commodity vessel. This success, coming on the heels of similar convictions like that of the MV Chayanee Naree, he said, “shows that our ‘back-to-back’ strategy is yielding concrete results.”
He specifically expressed appreciation to the Directorate of Prosecution and Legal Services for their diligence in the prosecution of the case. “We thank the judiciary for the accelerated hearing of this case. This synergy between the NDLEA and the courts is the nightmare of every drug baron, and we shall continue to strengthen this partnership until the last drug supply chain in Nigeria is dismantled”, he stated.
While expressing the unwavering resolve of the Agency, Marwa said “we are not just fighting a crime; we are defending the future of our youth and the security of our nation and in doing this our intelligence networks are getting wider, our technology sharper, and our resolve is unbreakable.”
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