Three months after expelling 80 wraps of cocaine, an India-bound drug trafficker, Freeman Charles Ogbonna, has been sentenced to 25 years imprisonment by a Federal High Court. Ogbonna, arrested by National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) operatives at Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos, was attempting to board a flight to Delhi, India via Doha with a Liberian passport under the name Carr Bismark. A body scan revealed he had ingested illicit drugs
According to Femi Babafemi, Director of Media and Advocacy at NDLEA Headquarters in Abuja, the arrest occurred on March 31, when Ogbonna was detained at the airport’s Terminal 2 screening point. Preliminary checks revealed his true identity, and he was placed under observation in NDLEA custody. Soon after, he began to exhibit signs of distress, eventually vomiting and excreting the cocaine he had ingested.
Ogbonna, who admitted to being recruited into drug trafficking by a relative, expelled a total of 80 wraps of cocaine, weighing 889 grams, over four days. He disclosed that he was given the drugs at a hotel in the Ipodo area of Ikeja and was promised N300,000 if he successfully delivered the consignment in India.
Following his arrest, Ogbonna was arraigned before Justice Dipeolu Deinde Isaac of the Federal High Court in Lagos on charges of violating section 20(1)(b) and punishable under section 20(2)(a) of the NDLEA Act. On July 1, 2024, Justice Dipeolu sentenced him to 25 years in prison without the option of a fine.
Brigadier General Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), Chairman and Chief Executive of the NDLEA, praised the MMIA Command and the prosecution team for their swift and thorough handling of the case. He emphasized that the judiciary remains a crucial ally in the fight against substance abuse and drug trafficking in Nigeria. Marwa added that Ogbonna’s conviction sends a strong message to other drug traffickers that there is no safe haven for them.