The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, on Thursday, arraigned four hard drug syndicates before a Federal High Court, sitting in Lagos State for unlawful importation of banned substances.

The defendants who were arraigned before Justice Daniel Osiagor are Ogunmeru Oluwafunsho, 49, Adewale Adegbeti, 42, Adeleke Abdulrazaq, 43, and Dairo Quam, 22.

They are facing two counts bordering on conspiracy and illegal exportation of drugs preferred against them by NDLEA.

The prosecutor, Augustine Nwagu, told the court that the defendants were arrested on March 10, 2023, at the SAHCO import shed of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos State, during the inward clearance of Cargo on an Ethiopian airline flight from Johannesburg, South Africa, via Addis Ababa.

He said all the defendants conspired among themselves to illegally and unlawfully export to the country, 11.90 kilograms of heroin and 500 grams of cannabis Sativa.

However, the defendants pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Following their plea of not guilty, Nwagu asked the court for a trial date and also urged the court to remand them in prison till the determination of the charge against them.

But their lawyers, Benson Ndakara and Uche Okoronkwo, urged the court to admit bail to their clients, adding that two of the defendants were suffering from ailments that could not be handled by the correctional services.

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