Court sends drug trafficker arrested at Abuja airport to jail

A Federal High Court in Abuja on Tuesday sentenced Vincent Chukwu to five years’ imprisonment for concealing cocaine through ingestion in an attempt to export it via the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport.

Chukwu was arraigned by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) on a two-count charge of unlawful possession and trafficking of 735.95 grams of cocaine.

He was arrested on February 4 at the Abuja airport during outward clearance for a Qatar Airways flight.

He pleaded guilty to both counts, leading to a summary trial.

During the proceedings, Abdulwahab Ahmed,an NDLEA exhibit officer,testified that the suspect was placed under medical observation after a scan showed the presence of narcotics in his system.

He said Chukwu later expelled 52 pellets of suspected cocaine over several days while in custody.

Laboratory tests confirmed the substance as cocaine, with a total weight of 735.95 grams.

The court was told that the defendant made written statements after each excretion in the presence of his counsel.

The prosecution tendered the recovered substance, the defendant’s statements, and other exhibits, which were admitted in evidence.

The prosecution requested the forfeiture of the defendant’s international passport and recovered funds to the Federal Government.

The defence counsel, E.U. Okeryi, pleaded for leniency, stating that Chukwu was a first-time offender and acted under financial pressure.

He also requested a non-custodial sentence, noting that the defendant is married with dependants.

Justice Mohammed Umar convicted and sentenced Chukwu to five years’ imprisonment on each count, to run concurrently.

The court also ordered that the recovered cocaine be handed over to the NDLEA for destruction.