Nigerian pleads guilty to drug rap
Published:Friday | April 25, 2014 | 12:00 AM
HOUSTON (AP):
A Nigerian who for years fought extradition to Texas has pleaded guilty to recruiting students in his homeland to internally smuggle heroin into the United States.
Federal prosecutors in Houston say 45-year-old Koyode Lawrence, of Lagos, on Wednesday pleaded guilty to conspiracy to import a controlled substance. Lawrence, who remains in custody pending sentencing, faces up to life in prison and a potential US$5 million fine.
The case goes back to February 2001 when two men working for Lawrence were arrested at George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston. Authorities say the pair had swallowed packets of heroin being smuggled from Nigeria.
Prosecutors say Lawrence mainly recruited college students who had dual US and Nigerian citizenship.
Lawrence, for nearly 10 years, fought extradition but he was transferred to the US in late 2013.