A 34-year-old Surinamese, Dadda Lorenzo Harvy Albert, has been convicted and sentenced to 13 years in prison.
The South American from Suriname was arrested by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) at the Port Harcourt International Airport, Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
He was caught with 117 parcels of cocaine concealed in extra-large latex condoms factory packed inside bottles of 100ml body spray.
This was as the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) secured 1,761 other convictions between January and July, 2023.
The trial of a total of 11,166 other drug suspects are ongoing in court. Of the 11,166 pending cases, 10,626 of them are men, while 540 are women.
The conviction and sentencing of the Surinamese was contained in a press release by NDLEA Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi.
South American man from Suriname was arrested by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) at the Port Harcourt International Airport, Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
He was arrested for bringing into Nigeria 117 parcels of cocaine concealed in extra-large latex condoms factory packed inside bottles of 100ml body spray.
“The Surinamese claimed he departed his country, located in the North-Eastern coast of South America, on 2 April, 2023, for Sao Paulo, Brazil.
“From Sao Paulo, he came to Nigeria on 7 April, 2023 on board Qatar Airways flight in search of his long-lost Nigerian father whom he called “Omini”.
“He was arraigned before Justice E.A. Obile of the Federal High Court 2, Port Harcourt on 1 June on two-count charges of importation and unlawful possession of 9.9kgs cocaine in Suit No: FHC/PH/181C/23.
“The Surinamese pleaded guilty to the two-count charge.
“After the review of the facts of the case on Thursday, 20 July, he was convicted and sentenced to 13 years imprisonment on both counts without an option of fine,” Babafemi stated.
“You, Dadda Lorenzo Harvy Albert, is hereby sentenced to 13 years imprisonment without option of fine on Count 1 and Count 2 also.
“And both shall run concurrently,” Justice Obile declared in his ruling.
The trial judge also ordered the forfeiture of the sum of $90) and R$10 (Brazilian currency) recovered from the Surinamese at the time of his arrest to the Federal Government.
The court 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.
Babafemi disclosed that the conviction of the Surinamese is one of the 1,762 drug cases concluded at Federal High Courts across the country between January and July, 2023.
Out of the 1, 762 convicted, 221 of them are female while the remaining 1,541 are male.
The drug cases, he added, were prosecuted by the Directorate of Prosecution and Legal Services of NDLEA.
He further disclosed that the trial of a total of 11,166 other drug suspects are ongoing in court. Of the 11,166 pending cases, 10,626 of them are men, while 540 are women.
The 1, 762 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 hard drugs.
They included cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, cannabis, tramadol and others linked to the convicts and the suspects between January and June 2023.
Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (rtd) has commended officers and men of the prosecution department for a job well done.
He charged them to remain committed to a diligent prosecution of all pending cases in court.
Marwa said conviction and sentencing without an option of fine is a strong deterrence to offenders and anyone contemplating going into any crime.
