Three barons, 16 others jailed 302 years for drug trafficking

Three drug kingpins and 16 other offenders have been sentenced to 302 years in prison for trafficking and dealing in illicit drugs.

According to the spokesperson for the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, Femi Babafemi, the suspects were accused of trafficking cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, cannabis and opioids, among others.

He added that the 19 convicts led the list of 414 drug traffickers and dealers convicted by the Federal High Court across Benue, Bauchi, Edo, Lagos, Ogun, Gombe, and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, between July 1 and 31, 2024, following charges brought against them by the agency.

Babafemi said, “Three drug kingpins and 16 other offenders have been convicted and sentenced to a total of 302 years in prison for trafficking and dealing in illicit drugs such as cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, cannabis and opioids following their arrest and diligent prosecution by the NDLEA.

“The 19 convicts top the list of 414 drug traffickers and dealers convicted by the Federal High Court in Benue, Bauchi, Edo, Lagos, Ogun, Gombe and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, between July 1 – 31, 2024, based on charges filed against them by the anti-narcotics agency.”

Babafemi said one of the three kingpins, 50-year-old Bolanle Dauda, was arrested during an intelligence-led raid by operatives of a special operation unit in NDLEA at Ibiye, along the Lagos-Badagry Expressway, while attempting to cross the land border to deliver the consignment in Ghana on May 25, 2024.

The statement added, “At the point of his arrest, 42 blocks of cocaine weighing 47.5 kilograms were found on him. A swift follow-up operation in his residence at Plot 24/25 OPIC extension, Petedo Road, Agbara, Ogun State, led to the recovery of an additional eight blocks of the same drug weighing 10kg, bringing the total weight of the cocaine seized from him to 57.5 kilograms.”

He was subsequently arraigned before Hon. Justice Ambrose Allagoa of the Federal High Court, Lagos, in charge number FHC/L/537C/2024.

“In his judgment delivered on July 19, 2024, Justice Allagoa convicted and sentenced him to 21 years imprisonment or payment of an option of N30m fine,” the statement added.

Babafemi also said another jailed kingpin was 34-year-old Ikeh Ifeanyi who was arrested at the popular Idumota market in Lagos Island, where no fewer than 1,100 ampoules of lethal synthetic opioid, fentanyl, weighing 6.480kg were recovered from him.

He added, “The dangerous opioid is 100 times more potent than heroin and currently responsible for over 70 per cent overdose deaths as well as a major contributor to fatal and nonfatal overdoses in the US.

“He was later arraigned before Justice Kehinde Ogundare of the Federal High Court Lagos in charge number FHC/L/433C/2024. Delivering his judgment on July 4, 2024, the trial judge convicted Ifeanyi on the two counts charge and sentenced him to 14 years in jail or an option of N2m fine.”

He said the third kingpin, Christian Anyanwu, was arrested on November 26, 2022, with 1.4 kilograms of methamphetamine concealed inside custard tins packed among cosmetics and foodstuffs going to Brazil via Doha on a Qatar Airways flight.

He was subsequently docked before Justice Yellin Bogoro of the Federal High Court Lagos, and later convicted on July 12, 2024. In his ruling, the trial judge sentenced Anyanwu to 16 years in jail, four of which were mandatory imprisonment without an option of fine.