{"id":21544,"date":"2024-12-27T10:16:14","date_gmt":"2024-12-27T10:16:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/theblogonline.com\/?p=21544"},"modified":"2024-12-27T10:19:39","modified_gmt":"2024-12-27T10:19:39","slug":"four-drug-kingpins-jailed-as-ndlea-secures-landmark-conviction-in-nigerias-largest-cocaine-seizure","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/theblogonline.com\/?p=21544","title":{"rendered":"Four Drug Kingpins Jailed as NDLEA Secures Landmark Conviction in Nigeria\u2019s Largest Cocaine Seizure"},"content":{"rendered":"

Four drug kingpins involved in the historic seizure of 2,139.55 kilograms of cocaine at an estate in Ikorodu, Lagos, in 2022 have been convicted and sentenced to a total of 28 years in prison by a Federal High Court in Lagos.<\/p>\n

Presided over by Justice Yellim Bogoro, the court also imposed hard labor and ordered the forfeiture of properties and funds linked to the convicts.<\/span><\/p>\n

The convicts, Soji Jubril Oke (71), Wasiu Akinade (55), Emmanuel Arinze Chukwu (67), and Kelvin Christopher Smith (44), a Jamaican national, faced six charges under charge number FHC\/L\/607C\/2022. <\/span><\/p>\n

The charges included conspiracy to form and operate a drug trafficking organization (DTO), managing and financing a DTO, and importing and possessing over 2.1 tons of cocaine. A fifth suspect, Oguntolure Sunday, is still undergoing trial.<\/span><\/p>\n

The convictions follow a high-profile operation by the NDLEA<\/a> on September 18, 2022, at 6 Olokunola Crescent, Solebo Estate, Ikorodu. <\/span><\/p>\n

The raid, described as the largest single cocaine seizure in Nigeria\u2019s history, was the culmination of intelligence-led efforts. The suspects were apprehended in various locations across Lagos within 24 hours of the operation.<\/span><\/p>\n

Justice Bogoro handed down varying sentences:<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2022 Kelvin Christopher Smith received four years imprisonment with hard labor.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2022 Emmanuel Arinze Chukwu was sentenced to 16 years.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2022 Soji Jubril Oke received five years with hard labor.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2022 Wasiu Akinade was sentenced to three years with hard labor.<\/span><\/p>\n

All except one convict were given options of fines. In addition to the prison terms, the court ordered the forfeiture of several assets, including:<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2022 A grey Toyota Tacoma SUV registered to Chukwu.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2022 $50,000 belonging to Chukwu.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2022 N55,099,509.50 in Chukwu\u2019s name.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2022 N9,003,168.06 and N3,052,295.20 linked to Akinade.<\/span><\/p>\n

In a separate suit filed on December 9, 2024, Justice Bogoro granted the final forfeiture of two properties connected to the drug cartel. These included:<\/span><\/p>\n

1. House No. 6, Olokunola Street, Solebo Estate, Ikorodu, used for storing and concealing the cocaine.<\/span><\/p>\n

2. House No. J9, Road 3, Close 1, Victoria Garden City (VGC), allegedly acquired with proceeds from drug trafficking.<\/span><\/p>\n

The court further directed the sale of the forfeited properties, with the proceeds to be paid to the Federal Government.<\/span><\/p>\n

Chairman\/Chief Executive of the NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), lauded the agency\u2019s officers for their diligence in investigating and prosecuting the case. <\/span><\/p>\n

He described the convictions as a historic victory against drug cartels, warning that such criminals would not only face jail time but also lose all assets and wealth acquired through their illicit trade.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThis case is a strong message to drug cartels. The NDLEA will dismantle their operations, ensure they face justice, and strip them of all proceeds of crime,\u201d Marwa stated.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Four drug kingpins involved in the historic seizure of 2,139.55 kilograms of cocaine at an estate in Ikorodu, Lagos, in 2022 have been convicted and sentenced to a total of 28 years in prison by a Federal High Court in Lagos.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":21545,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[9824,101,9825,203,9826],"class_list":["post-21544","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-drug-kingpins","tag-jailed","tag-landmark-conviction","tag-ndlea","tag-nigerias-largest-cocaine-seizure"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/theblogonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21544"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/theblogonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/theblogonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theblogonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theblogonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=21544"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/theblogonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21544\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":21547,"href":"https:\/\/theblogonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21544\/revisions\/21547"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theblogonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/21545"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/theblogonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=21544"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theblogonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=21544"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theblogonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=21544"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}