July 2, 2008

Cocaine dealer receives maximum sentence under federal sentencing guidelines

FORT WORTH, Texas - A cocaine smuggler from Nigeria was sentenced here Friday to more than 19 years in federal prison. U.S. Attorney Richard B. Roper, Northern District of Texas, made the announcement; U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) conducted the investigation.

Chinedu Leonard Momah, 48, of Lagos, Nigeria, was sentenced to 235 months in federal prison by U.S. District Judge John McBryde.

Momah pleaded guilty Feb. 8 to one count of possession with intent to distribute more than 500 grams of a mixture containing cocaine. He has been in custody since his arrest in October 2007. In December 2007, Momah and one co-defendant, Johnson Obiegbu, 46, of Amityville, N. Y., were indicted by a federal grand jury in Fort Worth.

Obiegbu also pleaded guilty to the indictment and was sentenced May 30 to 97 months in prison.

"Nothing will deter criminals more than the certainty of stiff prison sentences, as was dispensed in this international cocaine and money-laundering case," said John Chakwin Jr., special agent in charge of the ICE Office of Investigations in Dallas. "This nearly 20-year prison sentence is the best demonstration that the cost of doing business transporting drugs is too high." Chakwin oversees 128 counties in north Texas and the State of Oklahoma.

On Oct. 29 U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers conducted an outbound examination of passengers and baggage on British Airways flight 2192. The flight was scheduled to depart from Dallas-Fort Worth Airport and arrive at London Gatwick Airport in London, England. While examining the baggage, CBP inspectors X-rayed two orange suitcases, which were later discovered to contain several canister-shaped items. The baggage-claim tags affixed to those suitcases were numbers BA301238 and BA 301239, printed below the name "Obiegbu" on both claim tags. CBP removed the canisters and discovered a white powdery substance inside them, which was analyzed and proved to be about 4,135 grams of cocaine.

CBP then conducted an outbound examination of passengers during the boarding of flight 2192. During the examination, co-defendant Obiegbu presented his flight ticket and his U.S. passport to CBP. Baggage claim stickers BA301238 and BA301239 were attached to the paper sleeve that held Obiegbu's flight ticket. CBP inquired about the checked bags and Obiegbu responded that he checked two bags, on behalf of another passenger and that if there was anything in those bags it did not belong to him. CBP identified the other passenger as Momah and escorted him off the flight. Upon further examination, Obiegbu identified the two orange suitcases that he checked in with British Airways on Momah's behalf.

According to documents filed in Court, Momah admitted that he received the cocaine from another individual a day or two earlier and that he was to be paid upon delivery for transporting the cocaine to London. Momah also admitted that he recruited Obiegbu to carry and check in the luggage that contained the cocaine, and that Momah purchased the plane tickets for himself and for Obiegbu.

U.S. Attorney Roper praised the investigative efforts of CBP and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert Klinck, Northern District of Texas, prosecuted the case.

-- ICE --

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) was established in March 2003 as the largest investigative arm of the Department of Homeland Security. ICE is comprised of five integrated divisions that form a 21st century law enforcement agency with broad responsibilities for a number of key homeland security priorities.

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