By Gabriel Ameh
📍Abuja | Media360Impact Report
Barely four months after their arrest for importing 20 kilograms of cocaine from Santos, Brazil, into Nigeria through Apapa seaport in Lagos, ten Filipino sailors and their merchant vessel, MV Nord Bosporus, have been convicted and fined a total of $6 million and N1.1 million by the Federal High Court in Lagos.
The 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 had pleaded guilty and entered a plea bargain agreement.
The vessel and its crew were found guilty under Section 25 of the NDLEA Act.
Justice Ayokunle Faji ordered restitution and fines, including $5.35 million from the vessel and penalties ranging from $50,000 to $100,000 per crew member. NDLEA Chairman/CEO, Brig Gen Mohamed Buba Marwa, described the conviction as a “resounding victory for the rule of law,” warning that Nigeria’s waters are no longer safe for illicit drug trafficking.
The NDLEA commended its Apapa Strategic Command officers for uncovering the cocaine consignment and the Directorate of Prosecution and Legal Services for expediting the trial.
The agency emphasized that its intensified intelligence, technology, and legal collaboration are disrupting international drug syndicates while defending the nation’s youth and security.
