Court convicts, fines vessel, 11 Filipino crew over cocaine importation, Orders $5.35m restitution
By Onyewuchi Ojinnaka
Justice Ayokunle Faji of the Federal High Court sitting in Lagos, on Wednesday convicted, sentenced a Vessel MV Nord Bosporus and 11 Filipino nationals to various penalties following a plea bargain agreement reached with the Federal Government of Nigeria.
The trial judge convicted and sentenced the defendants after they pleaded guilty to an amended charges pursuant to the terms of agreement.
In line with the plea bargain agreement, Justice Faji imposed a fine of N100,000 on the Vessel MV Nord Bosporus, and further ordered her to pay $5.350 million as restitution to the Federal Government of Nigeria.
The court also directed the Vessel’s principal officers including the Captain and other senior crew members, to each pay a fine of N100,000 and $100,000 as restitution, while the remaining crew members were ordered to pay a fine of N100,000 each and $50,000 as restitution to the Federal Government.
The conviction followed the earlier arraignment of the Vessel and her Filipino crew members by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) on charges of conspiracy and unlawful importation of 20 kilograms of Cocaine into Nigeria.
The defendants/convicts are 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.
They were arraigned before Justice Faji on a charge marked FHC/L/1232C/2025. The prosecution, led by Barrister Theresa Asuquo informed the court that the defendants and the Vessel were arrested on November 16, 2025, at a Terminal, Apapa Port, Lagos.
According to the charge , the crew members were said to have conspired among themselves to unlawfully import 20 kilograms of cocaine aboard the Vessel, MV Nord Bosporus, from Santos, Brazil, into Nigeria.
The offences are said contravene Sections 11(b) and 14(b) of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency Act, Cap N30, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.
When the defendants were initially arraigned, they had pleaded not guilty. However, the prosecution thereafter informed the court that parties had entered into a plea bargain agreement pursuant to Section 270(4) of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, 2015 which caused the defendants to change their plea from not guilty to guilty.
Counsel to the defendants, Femi Atoyebi (SAN), confirmed the agreement reached and urged the court to adopt in terms.
Justice Faji subsequently adopted the plea bargain and delivered judgement in accordance with its provisions and terms.
