India-bound drug trafficker jailed 25 years
- Marwa hails judiciary, says no hiding place for barons, dealers
A drug trafficker, Freeman Charles Ogbonna, has been sentenced to 25 years’ imprisonment by a Federal High Court.
Its Director, Media and Advocacy of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Femi Babafemi, made this known in a statement in Abuja yesterday.
This comes three months after vomiting and 80 wraps of cocaine, following his arrest by operatives of the agency at the screening point of Terminal 2 of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport(MMIA) Ikeja, Lagos.
Ogbonna was arrested on March 31 while attempting to board his flight to Delhi, India via Doha on Qatar Airways, with a Liberian international passport, bearing Carr Bismark.
He was taken for body scan, which tested positive for ingestion of illicit drugs.
Babafemi said checks revealed his real identity as Freeman Charles Ogbonna and was subsequently placed under observation in NDLEA custody where he started to manifest signs of discomfort.
According to the statement, choked by the volume of illicit drugs in his stomach and another substance taken to hold back excretion, the suspect soon began to retch before starting to vomit and excrete wraps of cocaine he ingested almost simultaneously.
The statement reads: “The suspect who claimed he was recruited into drug trafficking by one of his relatives eventually passed out a total of 80 wraps of cocaine weighing 889 grammes through his mouth and anus over a period of four days.
“The great risk that almost took his life notwithstanding, Ogbonna said he was given the drugs to swallow at a hotel in Ipodo area of Ikeja with a promise to reward him with N300,000, if he successfully delivers the consignment in India.
“He was subsequently arraigned before Justice Dipeolu Deinde Isaac of the Federal High Court, Lagos in charge number FHCL/378/2024 for committing an offence contrary to section 20(1)(b) and punishable under section 20(2)(a) of the NDLEA Act Cap N30 LFN 2004. Delivering his judgement on the case on Monday 1st July 2024, Justice Dipeolu sentenced Ogbonna to 25 years in prison without an option of fine.”
