Court jails man 25 years over drug trafficking

A Federal High Court sitting in Lagos has sentenced one Carr Bismark, also known as Ogbonna Charles Freeman, to 25 years imprisonment for attempting to unlawfully export 889 grams of cocaine.

After pleading guilty to the charge brought against him by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, Justice Deinde Isaac Dipeolu handed down the sentence on Bismark.

The prosecutor, Mr Abu Ibrahim, said Bismark was arrested on March 31, 2024, during the outward clearance of a Qatar Airways flight to India via Doha, UAE, at Screening 2 of the New Terminal, Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos.

He said the illegal act violated section 20(1)(a) of the NDLEA Act and was punishable under section 20(2)(a), which mandates a minimum of 20 years imprisonment for drug trafficking.

During the proceedings, Bismark admitted to the offence, leading to the prosecution presenting all relevant evidence.

Despite his lawyer, Dennis W., pleading for leniency and citing legal precedents, Justice Dipeolu opted to impose the maximum sentence permissible under the law.