Court Fines 10 Filipinos $6 Million Over Cocaine Smuggling in Nigeria

A Federal High Court in Lagos has convicted 10 Filipino sailors and their vessel, MV Nord Bosporus, imposing a combined penalty of $6 million and N1.1 million for drug trafficking offences.

The ruling followed the seizure of 20 kilograms of cocaine aboard the vessel at the Apapa seaport in November 2025 by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency.

The defendants were charged on four counts and later entered a plea bargain agreement.

Read Also:

• ECB Slaps JPMorgan With Record Fine Over Misreported Capital Data
• New Tax Law Targets Double Taxation, Expands Compliance Framework

Delivering judgment, Justice Ayokunle Faji found the vessel guilty under relevant provisions of the NDLEA Act and ordered financial penalties against both the ship and its crew.

The court directed the vessel to pay N100,000 alongside restitution of $5.35 million. Three principal officers were each fined N100,000 and ordered to pay $100,000 in restitution, while other crew members were fined N100,000 each with restitution payments of $50,000 per person.

“This 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,” the agency stated.

Chairman of the NDLEA, Mohamed Buba Marwa, said the ruling sends a strong warning to international drug networks.

“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,” he said.