Lagos, 18th March 2026 – Barely four months after their arrest for importing 20 kilograms of cocaine from Santos, Brazil, into Nigeria via the Apapa seaport, 10 Filipino sailors and their merchant vessel, MV Nord Bosporus, have been convicted and fined a total of $6 million and ₦1.1 million by a Federal High Court in Lagos.
The vessel and its crew were apprehended on 16th November 2025 following the seizure of the cocaine consignment buried within the ship’s cargo by NDLEA officers. A four-count criminal charge was filed against them at the Federal High Court 2, Lagos, under suit number FHC/L/1232C/25, led by the Agency’s Director of Prosecution and Legal Services, Theresa Asuquo.
The accused 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—pled guilty and entered a plea bargain agreement with the prosecution.
Delivering his ruling on 18th March 2026, Justice Ayokunle Faji found MV Nord Bosporus guilty under Section 25 of the NDLEA Act, ordering the vessel to pay ₦100,000 in penalty and $5.35 million in restitution to the Federal Republic of Nigeria. The three principal officers—2nd, 3rd, and 4th defendants—were each fined ₦100,000 and required to pay $100,000 restitution, while the remaining crew members were fined ₦100,000 each plus $50,000 restitution per person.
Brig Gen Mohamed Buba Marwa (rtd), Chairman/CEO of NDLEA, hailed the conviction as “a resounding victory for the rule of law and a clear demonstration of the NDLEA’s renewed vigour in ridding Nigeria of illicit drugs.”
He added, “The $6 million fine serves as a stark lesson to international drug cartels that Nigeria’s territorial waters are no longer a playground for the narcotics trade. Let this judgment signal to every shipping line, vessel owner, and sailor worldwide that turning ships into floating warehouses for illicit drugs will cost both freedom and assets.”
Marwa commended the Apapa Strategic Command for uncovering the cocaine, describing it as a critical success following similar convictions, including the MV Chayanee Naree. He also praised the Directorate of Prosecution and Legal Services for their diligence and thanked the judiciary for the accelerated handling of the case.
“We are not just fighting crime; we are defending the future of our youth and the security of our nation. Our intelligence networks are expanding, our technology is sharper, and our resolve is unbreakable,” Marwa stated.
Discussion about this post