Long-time Nigerian fugitive sentenced to 25 years in prison for recruiting college students to traffic heroin into the US

HOUSTON — A Nigerian man, who recruited college students to transport heroin into the United States, was sentenced Tuesday to 25 years in federal prison for conspiracy to import a controlled substance.

This sentence was announced by U.S. Attorney Kenneth Magidson, Southern District of Texas. This investigation was conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), and U. S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP).

Koyode Lawrence, aka “papa,” 45, of Lagos, Nigeria, was sentenced to 300 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Nancy F. Atlas. At the hearing, additional testimony was presented showing the extent of Lawrence’s operation, including the fact that a pregnant minor ingested pellets of heroin to assist him in his trafficking. In handing down the sentence, Judge Atlas noted that Lawrence was the leader of extensive criminal activity. Lawrence pleaded guilty to the charges April 23.

This investigation was initiated Feb. 18, 2001 following the arrests of two co-defendants at Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) as they attempted to internally smuggle 1,498 grams of heroin into the country from Nigeria. Both men were working for Lawrence.

Lawrence headed the organization in which couriers swallowed heroin filled pellets in Nigeria, enter the United States, and then expel the pellets upon arrival at their final destination.

Lawrence recruited carriers who had dual U.S. and Nigerian citizenship because Lawrence believed them to be less suspicious. Generally, most were born in the U.S. when their parents were attending school and moved back to Nigeria while still children. Most of the carriers were recruited while attending college in Nigeria.

Individuals called “strikers” recruited potential couriers and brought them to Lawrence’s house in Lagos where they were tested for their internal smuggling ability. Some of the couriers required extensive training to develop the ability to swallow between 700 and 800 grams of heroin-filled pellets at a time. The couriers were paid between $6,000 and $15,000 per trip.

Lawrence accompanied carriers to a hotel in Ghana where they were given the heroin pellets to swallow. The carriers usually then flew from Ghana to Amsterdam and then to an international airport in the U.S., frequently arriving at IAH. Upon arrival, they were met by a manager who escorted them back to an apartment in Chicago, where they were instructed to expel the pellets. Carriers often stayed in Chicago for several days until arrangements were made for their return.

Between March 2000 and November 2002, 14 heroin arrests were subsequently linked to Lawrence with multiple historical runs further attributed to him. Throughout the conspiracy, the Lawrence organization is responsible for importing at least 29 kilograms (64 pounds) of heroin into the U.S. from Nigeria.

Lawrence fought his extradition from Nigeria for nearly 10 years and was finally brought to the U.S. in the latter part of 2013. He will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Stuart A. Burns, Southern District of Texas, prosecuted this case.