On Monday 2 December Shehu Sulat Adisa, 39, a Nigerian national of Spring Hill, Hackney, was found guilty of being involved in five separate drug smuggling incidents following a trial at Woolwich Crown Court. He was sentenced the next day.
The first offence took place in July 2011, when Border Force officers arrested Nigerian national Adetokumbo Bakare at Bristol Airport. Bakare had travelled from Cameroon and was carrying five kilos of cocaine in her suitcase. She was later jailed for eight years.
On 22 May 2012 two more couriers were arrested, this time at Newcastle International Airport. Czech nationals Maros Kristof and Eva Makunova had flown from Gambia via Brussels, one was carrying 2.7 kilos of cocaine, the other 1.6kg of methamphetamine. They were convicted and sentenced to six and four-and-a-half years respectively.
In August 2012 Spanish national Kepa Quintana Landaburu was arrested by the Japanese authorities at Tokyo’s Narita Airport, carrying 1.2 kilos of methamphetamine. He had flown from the UK. Landaburu was sentenced to eight years hard labour by a Japanese court.
The final offence occurred on 5 March 2013, when UK national Adeyinka Adeoti was intercepted at Birmingham Airport carrying 1.3kg of cocaine concealed in the struts of a suitcase. He was later jailed for four years and ten months.
Adisa’s trial heard how he played a leading role in all five smuggling attempts, recruiting couriers and sorting out travel arrangements.
He was arrested on 2 May 2013 as he arrived for an immigration interview. During a search of his flat in Hackney investigators found Bakare’s Nigerian passport, alongside other documents showing travel bookings and payments.
Dawn Cartwright, from the National Crime Agency’s Border Policing Command, said: “Adisa held a prominent role in what was a wider organised crime network.
“He was a crucial link in the chain with contacts in Africa and around the world, and was directly responsible for facilitating the trafficking of millions of pounds worth of class A drugs.
“Working with Border Force colleagues we are determined to prevent smugglers like Adisa bringing illegal drugs into the UK and causing terrible damage to our communities.”
Adisa will face deportation after serving his sentence.