Akasha brothers plead guilty to six counts of drug trafficking in a New York court

Baktash Akasha (left) and his brother Ibrahim Akasha. They have pleaded guilty to six counts of drug trafficking in a New York court.

Two sons of slain drug baron Ibrahim Akasha Wednesday pleaded guilty to six counts of drug trafficking in a New York Court.

Baktash and Ibrahim Akasha appeared before Southern District of New York where Kenya’s anti-narcotics unit chief Amisi Massa was present.

The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) said the two pleaded guilty to drug trafficking charges, corruption to defeat extradition and conspiracy to use guns to facilitate their drug trafficking business.

“The Director Anti-Narcotics Unit personally flew to the USA having diligently prepared the case and managed to have the two accused persons plead guilty to drug trafficking charges, corruption to defeat extradition and conspiracy to use guns to facilitate their drug trafficking business,” the DCI said in a tweet.

The two with Pakistani national Gulam Hussein and Indian national Vijaygiri Goswami were extradited in January 2017 to the US after being arrested in Mombasa.

Kenya had been working with the US and UNODC in collecting evidence that linked them to the trafficking of narcotics to the US.

Baktash, Ibrahim, Gulam and Goswami, have been charged by US prosecutors with conspiring to smuggle 98 kilogrammes of heroin into the United States from Kenya.

The suspects could be sentenced to life in prison in the US as per the drug trafficking law.

In July 2018, the US court rejected an application by the brothers that they be freed because they had been forcibly kidnapped and extradited into the detention in the US in violation of an extradition treaty.

Judge Victor Morrero argued the application was an effort to avoid trial on drug smuggling charges by claiming the court lacks jurisdiction on their case.

The judge had ruled that the prosecution and defence should submit their stand on the possible expulsion order and, if it exists, whether the defendants should have access to it.

The Kenyans had sought to compel the US government to hand over documents related to their extradition or expulsion from Kenya.

They were arrested in Mombasa on January 28, 2017 and later transferred to the US.

At that time, a Mombasa court was hearing a petition on whether they could be taken to the US for the charges. Their lawyers protested locally in vain.