A Federal High Court in Lagos has sentenced Carr Bismark, also known as Ogbonna Charles Freeman, to 25 years in prison for attempting to unlawfully export 889 grams of cocaine. The sentence was handed down by Justice Deinde Isaac Dipeolu after Bismark pleaded guilty to charges brought by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).

Prosecutor Abu Ibrahim detailed Bismark’s arrest on March 31, 2024, during the outward clearance of a Qatar Airways flight to India via Doha at the New Terminal of Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos. The illegal act violated section 20(1)(a) of the NDLEA Act, which mandates a minimum of 20 years imprisonment for drug trafficking under section 20(2)(a).

Despite Bismark’s lawyer, Dennis W., pleading for leniency and citing legal precedents, Justice Dipeolu imposed the maximum sentence permissible under the law.