Nigerian jailed in UK for cocaine smuggling

By Tope Abiola - 14.03.2008

A 43-year-old Nigerian, Cosmos Eke Okoronkwo, who was arrested for an attempting to smuggle over two kilogrammes of cocaine into Scotland, was sentenced at Edinburgh High Court on Thursday to three years and four months imprisonment.

The sentence was backdated to December 3, 2007, for time spent on remand.

HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) officers had detained Okoronkwo, an electronics trader from Lagos State, in December 2007.

In addition, £930 seized from him at Aberdeen airport has been forfeited to the Crown.

The convict had pleaded guilty on February 5, 2008.
He had arrived in Aberdeen on a flight from Amsterdam, Netherlands, having begun his journey in Nigeria.

The cocaine, with a street value of £287,950, was concealed inside his luggage. Okoronkwo was subsequently arrested and charged with attempting to smuggle cocaine into Scotland.

HMRC Assistant Director of Investigation in Scotland, Anne-Marie Gordon, said “this detection of a Class A drug and the subsequent conviction of the courier, is the latest in a series of similar successes by Revenue & Customs who continue to play a key role in protecting Scottish communities.

“HMRC investigators and detection officers at Scotland’s ports and airports are determined to stop drugs reaching our streets. Recent convictions in Scotland for Class A drug smuggling following action HMRC, prove that we are succeeding.

“Today’s case sends another significant warning to anyone tempted to smuggle drugs. HMRC officers continue to work closely with the police and other agencies across the United Kingdom and abroad to protect our communities. Smugglers face criminal prosecution followed by the removal of any financial benefits,” she said.