Sayreville Man Sentenced for Importing Heroin from India

Sayreville, NJ - A Sayreville, New Jersey man was sentenced Thursday to 63 months in prison for his role in a conspiracy to import heroin from India into the United States, the U.S. attorney announced.

As Patch reported at the time of his arrest, Adolphus Nwokedi, 48, was caught in a sting in 2014 after he unwittingly accepted the heroin package in Newark. It had been intercepted by customs agents at JFK airport, and then delivered to Nwokedi by undercover federal agents. He accepted it.

From Oct. 2013 through Dec. 2013, Nwokedi conspired with someone in India to ship a parcel containing heroin into the United States. In return for $3,000, Nwokedi agreed to accept the package at his business address in Newark and then deliver it to someone else living in Bronx.

On Dec. 11, 2013, customs agents at JFK airport's mail facility intercepted the parcel and found 524 grams of heroin. On Jan. 2, 2014, agents with Homeland Security Investigations conducted a controlled delivery of the parcel. Nwokedi personally accepted the parcel in Newark and was subsequently arrested.

He was convicted following a three-day trial. In addition to the prison term, he must also undergo four years of supervised release.