$5.35m Cocaine Case: Ship, 11 Crew Convicted

Justice Ayokunle Faji of the Federal High Court, Lagos, last Wednesday, convicted the vessel MV Nord Bosporus and 11 Filipino nationals, for conspiring to smuggle 20 kilograms of cocaine into Nigeria. The judgement followed a plea bargain agreement, reached with the Federal Government.

Under the terms of the agreement, the court imposed a N100,000 fine on the vessel, and ordered the payment of $5.35 million in restitution to the Federal Government.

The ship’s principal officers, including the Captain and senior crew, were each fined N100,000 and required to pay $100,000 in restitution, while the remaining crew members were fined N100,000 each, and ordered to pay $50,000 to the Government.

The Defendants, 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,  had been earlier arraigned by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) on charges of conspiracy and unlawful importation of cocaine. They were arrested on November 16, 2025, at Apapa Port, Lagos, after attempting to bring the 20 kilograms of cocaine aboard the MV Nord Bosporus from Santos, Brazil, into Nigeria. The offences violate Sections 11(b) and 14(b) of the NDLEA Act, Cap N30.

Initially, the crew pleaded not guilty, but following negotiations under Section 270(4) of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, 2015, they changed their plea to guilty. Their Counsel, Femi Atoyebi, SAN, confirmed the plea bargain, and urged the court to adopt its terms.

Justice Faji adopted the agreement and delivered judgement accordingly, bringing an end to one of the year’s high-profile drug importation cases in Lagos.