The Arik air hostess caught on December 18, 2011 at the Heathrow Airport, United Kingdom, for attempting to smuggle cocaine worth about £250,000, Chinwendu Ogbonnaya, has been jailed for five years and six months.
Ogbonnaya was sentenced on Thursday by an Isleworth Crown Court judge in West London.
She would also be deported once she finishes serving her sentence.
Ogbonna, 29, committed the offence as a member of the Arik Air crew that flew from the Murtala Mohammed Internation Airport, Lagos into the United Kingdom on a regular commercial flight service.
The drug was discovered in a rucksack she had with her, which was found to be with a false back.
A search by officials of the UK Border Agency at Terminal 4 of the Heathrow Airport, where the Arik Air flight into London terminates, led to the discovery of the drugs that forensic tests showed is two kilogrammes and is a high purity Grade A cocaine.
Though she initially claimed the bag was given to her by a friend, Ogbonnaya later confessed to being the owner, pleading for leniency.
An Assistant Director of the UK Border Agency’s Criminal and Financial Investigation Team, Pete Avery, said: “There is no doubt that Ogbonnaya sought to abuse her position as a crew member by bringing these drugs into London.
“As a result, she now faces a long time away from home and behind bars.
“UK Border Agency officers are on constant alert to keep Class A drugs and other banned substances out of the UK and take them out of the supply chain before they reach the streets.”
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