Ten Filipino sailors and the merchant vessel MV Nord Bosporus have been found guilty and ordered to pay a combined sum of Six Million US Dollars ($6 million) and One Million One Hundred Thousand Naira (N1.1 million) by a Federal High Court in Lagos. This conviction follows their arrest approximately four months ago by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) for the unlawful importation of 20 kilograms of cocaine into Nigeria.
The contraband was brought into the country from Santos, Brazil, via the Apapa seaport in Lagos. The merchant vessel and its crew were apprehended by NDLEA officers on November 16, 2025, after the cocaine was discovered aboard the ship.
Subsequently, a four-count criminal charge was filed against the vessel and its crew at the Federal High Court 2 in Lagos. The prosecution was led by a team of NDLEA prosecutors, including the Agency’s Director of Prosecution and Legal Services, Theresa Asuquo.
The vessel and its Filipino crew members, identified as 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, opted to plead guilty and enter into a plea bargain agreement.
On Wednesday, March 18, 2026, Justice Ayokunle Faji of the Federal High Court 2 Lagos delivered the ruling based on the plea bargain. The judge found MV Nord Bosporus guilty of an offense under Section 25 of the NDLEA Act. The vessel was ordered to pay a penalty of N100,000 and a restitution of Five Million Three Hundred and Fifty Thousand US dollars ($5.35 million) to the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Furthermore, the three principal officers of the vessel, listed as the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th defendants, were convicted and sentenced to pay N100,000 each, along with a restitution of $100,000 each to the Federal Republic of Nigeria. The remaining defendants, from the 5th to the 11th, were also convicted and ordered to pay N100,000 each, plus a restitution of $50,000 each.
In total, the vessel and its ten sailors are to pay the Federal Government of Nigeria $6 million and N1.1 million in restitution and penalties.
Reacting to the significant judgment, the Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig Gen Mohamed Buba Marwa (rtd), stated that the conviction of the vessel and its crew represents "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 substantial fine "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."
Marwa emphasized that the judgment should serve as an unambiguous signal to shipping lines, vessel owners, and sailors worldwide that engaging in drug smuggling will lead to severe consequences, including the loss of freedom and assets. He highlighted that the agency is now impacting syndicates financially and operationally.
He commended the NDLEA officers at the Apapa Strategic Command for their diligence in detecting the cocaine concealed within the ship's cargo. Marwa also noted that this conviction, following similar ones like that of the MV Chayanee Naree, demonstrates the effectiveness of the agency's "back-to-back" strategy.
Marwa extended his gratitude to the Directorate of Prosecution and Legal Services for their thorough prosecution and the judiciary for the swift handling of the case. He affirmed that the synergy between the NDLEA and the courts is detrimental to drug barons and pledged to enhance this partnership to dismantle drug supply chains in Nigeria.
Concluding, Marwa reiterated the agency's unwavering commitment, stating, "we are not just fighting a crime; we are defending the future of our youth and the security of our nation." He assured that the NDLEA's intelligence networks are expanding, technology is improving, and their resolve remains unbreakable.
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