The Lagos Division of the Federal High Court on Monday convicted and jailed three men for illegally dealing in restricted drugs.

Justice Kehinde Ogundare convicted and sentenced Kazeem Mustapha, Andrew Ukelere and Anthony Chinemerem.

The three men were arraigned by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) on a two-count charge bordering on drug trafficking, to which they pleaded guilty.

Following the pleas, the court reviewed the facts of the case, with NDLEA counsel Ifeoma Erondu tendering several exhibits supporting the prosecution’s case.

She urged the judge to convict the three men based on their guilty pleas and evidence before the court.

The judge admitted the exhibits in evidence and convicted them.

On count one, he sentenced Messrs Mustapha and Ukelere to two years’ imprisonment with an option of a N250,000 fine each.

On count two, the judge sentenced Messrs Mustapha and Chinemerem to one year imprisonment with an option of a N100,000 fine each.

He directed that the terms of imprisonment should run concurrently while the fines should be cumulative.

According to the NDLEA, the convicts committed the offences on March 19 on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.

The agency said Messrs Mustapha and Ukelere illegally trafficked 13.9kg of tramadol. It added that Messrs Mustapha and Chinemerem trafficked 590 litres of Pentazocine.

Drug trafficking contravenes section 11(b) of the NDLEA Act of 2004.

(NAN)