Court convicts Vessel, 11 Filipinos over cocaine importation

By Akin Kuponiyi

The presiding Judge of a Federal high court in Lagos, justice Ayokunle Faji, on Wednesday convicted and sentenced a vessel and 11 Filipinos to various penalties following a plea bargain agreement reached with the Federal Government of Nigeria.

Justice Faji convicted and sentenced the defendants after they pleaded guilty to an amended charge pursuant to the agreement.

In line with the plea bargain, Justice Faji imposed a fine of N100,000 on the vessel, MV Nord Bosporus, and ordered it to pay $5.350 million as restitution to the Federal Government of Nigeria.

The court also ordered the vessel’s principal officers including the captain and other senior crew members, to pay a fine of N100,000 and $100,000 each in restitution.

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 its 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 include 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 team led by Barrister Theresa Asuquo and Kunle Adebajo told the court that the defendants and the vessel were arrested on November 16, 2025, at Apapa Terminal Port in Lagos.

According to the prosecution, the crew members conspired among themselves to unlawfully import 20 kilograms of cocaine aboard the vessel, MV Nord Bosporus, from Santos, Brazil, into Nigeria.

The offences were said to be contrary to Sections 11(b) and 14(b) of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency Act, Cap N30, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.

Although the defendants initially pleaded not guilty, the prosecution later 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.

Counsel to the defendants, Femi Atoyebi (SAN), confirmed the agreement and urged the court to adopt the terms.

Justice Faji subsequently adopted the plea bargain and delivered judgment in accordance with its provisions.