The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a 34-year-old South American man from Suriname, Dadda Lorenzo Harvy Albert at the Port Harcourt International Airport, Port Harcourt, Rivers state for bringing into Nigeria 117 parcels of cocaine concealed in extra-large latex condoms factory packed, inside bottles of 100ml body spray.
A statement by the NDLEA spokesman, Mr Femi Babafemi on Wednesday said, the man has been convicted and sentenced to 13 years in prison.
The suspect who claimed he departed his country, Suriname, located on the North Eastern coast of South America on 2nd April for Sao Paulo, Brazil and from Sao Paulo to Nigeria on 7th April 2023 on board Qatar Airways flight in search of his long-lost Nigerian father whom he called “Omini”, was arraigned before Justice E.A. Obile of the Federal High Court 2, Port Harcourt on 1st June on two counts of importation and unlawful possession of 9.9kgs cocaine in charge number, FHC/PH/181C/23.
The Surinamese however pleaded guilty to the two-count charge and after the review of the facts of the case on 20th July, he was convicted and sentenced to 13 years imprisonment on both counts without an option of fine.
The trial judge also ordered the forfeiture of the sum of $90 and ten Brazilian Real recovered from the convict at the time of his arrest to the Federal Government and equally refused the application by Lorenzo’s Counsel for him to be deported back to his country. As a result, the convict is now serving his term of imprisonment at the Correctional Centre, Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
The successful prosecution and conviction of Lorenzo is one of the 1,445 drug cases concluded at the Federal High Court across the country between January and June 2023 by the Directorate of Prosecution and Legal Services of the NDLEA with the trial of a total of 11,166 other drug suspects ongoing in court.
Out of the 1,445 convicts, 221 of them are female while the balance of 1,541 are male. Of the 11,166 pending cases, 10,626 of them are men while the rest, 540 are women.
The 1,445 convicts and 11,166 suspects who are still facing trial were arrested and charged to court over the seizure of 555,953.70 kilograms of cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, cannabis, tramadol and others linked to them between January and June 2023.
The Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the NDLEA, Brig-Gen. Mohamed Marwa (Rtd), the statement said, commended officers and men of the prosecution department for a job well done and charged them to remain committed to diligent prosecution of all pending cases in court.
The NDLEA boss added that conviction and sentencing without the option of fine is a strong deterrence to offenders and anyone contemplating going into any crime.
“We must deny these groups the undue publicity they crave,” the minister said.
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