A 34-year-old man from Suriname, Dadda Lorenzo Harvy Albert, has been sentenced to 13 years in prison for smuggling 117 parcels of cocaine into Nigeria.
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, disclosed this in a statement on Wednesday.
NDLEA said its operatives at the Port Harcourt International Airport in Rivers State apprehended Albert during a routine search.
It added that Albert concealed the cocaine in extra-large latex condoms factory-packed inside bottles of 100-ml body spray.
Albert claimed to have left Suriname, which is located on the northeastern coast of South America, on April 2nd and travelled to Sao Paulo, Brazil, before arriving in Nigeria on April 7, 2023, aboard a Qatar Airways flight.
His purported motive for coming to Nigeria, as stated by the NDLEA, was to search for his long-lost Nigerian father, whom he referred to as “Omini.”
Albert was then arraigned before Justice E.A. Obile of the Federal High Court 2, Port Harcourt, on June 1st, facing two counts of importation and unlawful possession of 9.9 kilogrammes of cocaine (charge number FHC/PH/181C/23).
He pleaded guilty to both charges, and after a review of the case’s facts on July 20, he was sentenced to 13 years in prison on each count, to run concurrently.
Meanwhile, Albert’s Counsel had made an application for him to be deported back to Suriname, but the court refused the request.
The judge also ordered the forfeiture of Ninety ($90) United States Dollars and Ten (R$10) Brazilian Real, which were recovered from the convict at the time of his arrest, to the Federal Government.
NDLEA also reported that the Directorate of Prosecution and Legal Services concluded a total of 1,445 drug cases at the Federal High Court nationwide between January and June 2023. Additionally, there are 11,166 drug suspects currently facing trial.
Among the 1,445 convicts, 221 are female, while the remaining 1,541 are male. Of the 11,166 pending cases, 10,626 suspects are male, and 540 are female.
The cases are related to the seizure of 555,953.70 kilogrammes of various drugs, including cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, cannabis, and tramadol, among others.
