The trial of the fifth suspect, Oguntolure Sunday arraigned along with them is still ongoing in court.
The four convicts: Soji Jubril Oke, 71; Wasiu Akinade, 55; Emmanuel Arinze Chukwu, 67; and Kelvin Christopher Smith, 44, a Jamaican, were arraigned on a six-count charge.
The charges border on conspiracy to form, operate manage and finance a drug trafficking organisation, and importation and possession of 2,139.55 kilograms of cocaine, among others.
The five were apprehended in a well-coordinated and intelligence-led operation on Sunday 18th September, 2022 by operatives of NDLEA special operations unit.
The operatives raided a house located at 6 Olukuola crescent, Solebo estate, Ikorodu, Lagos where over 2.1 tons of cocaine were seized.
It was the largest single cocaine seizure in the history of Nigeria’s anti-narcotic operations.
The drug kingpins were picked from hotels and their hideouts in different parts of Lagos between the night of Sunday 18th and Monday 19th September, 2022.
After over two years of diligent prosecution, the trial judge handed the Jamaican, Kelvin Christopher Smith four years imprisonment with hard labour; Emmanuel Arinze Chukwu got a total of 16 years; Soji Jubril Oke, five years with hard labour, and Wasiu Akinade three years with hard labour.
The trial judge however gave the convicts varying options of fine with the exception of one of them who will serve his full jail term.
They were also to forfeit a grey colour Toyota Tacoma SUV marked AAA 734 HT registered in the name of Emmanuel Chukwu; $50,000 belonging to Chukwu; N55,099,509.50 also belonging to Chukwu; N9,003,168.06 belonging to Wasiu Akinade and N3,052,295.20 also belonging to Akinade.
