Nigerian national sentenced on drug trafficking charges

PITTSBURGH — A Nigerian man was sentenced in federal court on Monday to more than five years in prison for smuggling heroin into the United States from India. The sentence stems from an investigation conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).

Olajide Usman Abdul-Ganiu, 47, smuggled heroin into the United States – worth between $100,000 and $400,000 – from December 2009 through January 2010. He was apprehended by federal, state and local officials after signing for a package of heroin in a false name. Money, cell phones and a digital scale with heroin residue were also found in locations tied to Abdul-Ganiu. He was sentenced to 63 months in prison followed by four years of supervised release.

U.S. Attorney David J. Hickton, Western District of Pennsylvania, commended the following law enforcement agencies for their participation in the investigation: ICE HSI, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Pennsylvania State Police, and the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police.

U.S. Attorney Kickton also commended Assistant U.S. Attorney Ross E. Lenhardt, who prosecuted the case.