MV Nord Bosporu Crew Convicted in $5.35m Cocaine Case

On Wednesday, Justice Ayokunle Faji of the Federal High Court in Lagos convicted the vessel MV Nord Bosporu and its 11 Filipino crew members for conspiracy to smuggle 20 kilograms of cocaine into Nigeria. This judgment followed a plea bargain agreement reached with the Federal Government.

The court imposed a fine of N100,000 on the vessel and ordered a restitution payment of $5.35 million to the Federal Government. The ship's principal officers, including the captain and senior crew, were also fined N100,000, while the remaining crew members were fined N100,000 each, with a requirement to pay N50,000.

The crew members, including Eugen Quino Corpuz, Mark Joseph Jardiniano, and others, were earlier arraigned by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) on charges of conspiracy and unlawful importation of cocaine after their arrest on November 16, 2025, at Apapa Port, Lagos. Initially pleading not guilty, the crew changed their plea to guilty following negotiations under Section 270(4) of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act 2015, which led to the adoption of the plea bargain by the court.