NDLEA Secures $6m Fine as Court Convicts 10 Filipino Sailors, Vessel Over 20kg Cocaine Importation
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has secured a $6 million fine following the conviction of 10 Filipino sailors and their vessel, MV Nord Bosporus, for importing 20 kilograms of cocaine from Santos, Brazil, into Nigeria through the Apapa seaport.
The sailors and the vessel were also ordered to pay a total penalty of ₦1.1 million by the Federal High Court in Lagos.
According to a statement made available to ThelensNG by NDLEA‘s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, the merchant vessel and its crew were arrested after 20 kilograms of cocaine were discovered on board during an operation at the Apapa seaport on November 16, 2025.
Babafemi disclosed that a four-count criminal charge was subsequently filed against the defendants 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 crew members — 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, pleaded guilty and entered into a plea bargain agreement.
Delivering judgement on Wednesday, March 18, 2026, Justice Ayokunle Faji of the Federal High Court 2 Lagos found MV Nord Bosporus guilty of an offence under Section 25 of the NDLEA Act.
“The judge ordered the vessel to pay the sum of ₦100,000 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 ₦100,000.00 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 ₦100,000.00 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 ₦1.1million as restitution and penalty respectively,” the statement said.
Reacting to the judgement, the Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (rtd), described the conviction as a resounding victory for the rule of law and a testament to the Agency’s renewed efforts to combat drug trafficking in Nigeria.
“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,” Marwa stated.
He commended officers of the Apapa Strategic Command for their vigilance in uncovering the concealed cocaine shipment within the cargo of a massive commodity vessel.
The NDLEA boss stressed that this success, coming on the heels of similar convictions such as that of MV Chayanee Naree, shows that the Agency’s “back-to-back” strategy is yielding concrete results.
He expressed appreciation to the Directorate of Prosecution and Legal Services for their diligence in prosecuting 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 reaffirmed the Agency’s commitment to eliminating illicit drug trade in Nigeria, adding that “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.”
