The Federal High Court in Lagos on Friday sentenced a Brazil-based Nigerian drug baron, Christian Anyanwu, to 16 years imprisonment for trafficking 1.40 kilograms of methamphetamine.
The court also convicted a 35-year-old freight agent, Omolara Salako, for her role in the illegal activity.
The convicts were first arraigned before Justice Yelim Bogoro, by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, sometime in May 2023, on five counts.
The charges included conspiracy, unlawful exportation, and non-declaration of assets.
The NDLEA prosecutor, Mrs Juliana Imaobong-Irobuchi, said the offences contravened Sections 11 (b), 14(b) and 35(3)(a) of the NDLEA Act, Cap N30, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.
The convicts however pleaded not guilty but despite their plea of not guilty, their bail applications were refused by the court.
However, when their matter came up on Friday for trial, the two convicts changed their earlier not-guilty plea and pleaded guilty to the charges against them.
Upon changing their pleas to guilty, Imaobong-Irobuchi reviewed the facts and presented evidence, which the court accepted.
She emphasised the damaging impact of drug trafficking, saying, “The use of hard drugs is rampant, and many lives are being lost. Society looks to this honourable court to protect it from those who profit from this dangerous trade.”
In their defence, the convicts’ lawyers, Mr Dennis Warri and Kate Igbo, urged the court to consider leniency, arguing that their clients were first-time offenders.
However, the prosecutor refuted this claim, insisting that Anyanwu was a serial offender.
Justice Bogoro confirmed this after reading Anyanwu’s additional statement, noting, “The second convict has a history of involvement in drug trafficking.”
Consequently, Justice Bogoro sentenced Salako to four years imprisonment on each of the three counts, to run concurrently, with an option of N300,000 fine per count, totalling N900,000. Additionally, Salako was ordered to perform two months of community service.
Meanwhile, Anyanwu was sentenced to four years imprisonment on each of the four counts, making it 16 years.
The judge also gave him an option of a N300,000 fine, on one count, along with two months of community service.
Justice Bogoro ordered the forfeiture of all funds in Anyanwu’s First Bank and GTB accounts, his passport, and two mobile phones to the Federal Government.
The court heard that the convicts conspired with others, including a notorious drug baron named Tosin Dolapo, currently at large.
The prosecutor told the court that on November 25, 2022, Salako was caught at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos, with 1.40 kilograms of methamphetamine hidden in seven containers of custard powder, during the outward clearance of Qatar Airways passengers to Brazil through Doha.
