A Federal High Court in Lagos has convicted and sentenced a 40-year-old America-trained Nollywood filmmaker, Mbadiwe Emeka, to five years imprisonment for trafficking 17.30 kilograms of Canada Loud, Cannabis Sativa, a narcotic drug similar to cocaine, LSD, and heroin.
Justice Ambrose Lewis-Allagoa delivered the sentence on Wednesday, February 5, 2025, after Emeka pleaded guilty to two counts of unlawful importation of the drug by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).
Emeka was arrested on December 24, 2024, during the examination of incoming cargo with Airway Bill No: 00637337285, from Huston, United States, at the National Handling Company Import Shed, a Customs Area/Point of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos State. The prosecutor, Abu Ibrahim, stated that the convict had enlisted Uzoekwe Ugochukwu James to import the banned drug.
The offence contravened Sections 21(1)(e) of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency Cap. N30, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004, and is punishable under Sections 11(a), 20 (1)(a), and 20 (2)(a).
Upon pleading guilty, the prosecutor presented the facts of the case and all related exhibits. Emeka’s lawyer, Dennis Warri, requested leniency, highlighting the convict’s timely guilty plea as a sign of remorse and his willingness to avoid wasting the court’s time. Warri suggested a non-custodial sentence or a fine as an alternative to imprisonment.
Justice Lewis-Allagoa sentenced Emeka to five years in prison but allowed him to pay N3 million as an alternative to serving the full jail term. The judge also ordered that the bulk of the exhibits, including an iPhone 12 Pro Max, be forfeited to the Federal Government of Nigeria.
