58 year old Nigerian man, Christopher Omigie, who is a self acclaimed
witch doctor has been sentenced to 14 years in a US federal prison for
providing drug traffickers with magical and "supernatural" protection.
At
a court hearing yesterday April 30th, prosecutors told the presiding
judge, Judge Marcia Crone, that Omigie presented himself to drug
traffickers as a witch doctor who had the powers to prevent them from
being arrested while they smuggled banned drugs and was paid "hundreds
of thousands of dollars" to give supernatural protection from law
enforcement.
"Omigie was consulted by drug traffickers in
the Cesar Barrera and David Bazan drug trafficking organizations on a
daily basis and before, during and after each drug transaction. The
supernatural protections rendered involved card readings, massages (by
Omigie) with magic ointments, cutting of the skin with razor blades and
the topical application of magic powder, the use of magic amulets,
magic belts, magic coconuts and magic rocks (that those being treated
were required to talk to)."
According to the Prosecutors, Omigie
demanded the smugglers not to have sex or take a shower after they had
applied his magical products so as not to "not diminish the potency" of
his work.
"Magic 'law stay-away' candles were also burned in
order to protect drug traffickers from law enforcement detection.
Omigie would regularly return to Africa, at drug traffickers' expense,
to re-new his supernatural powers."
Omigie's attorney, Jonathan
D. Goins in Houston, criticized fthe US prosecutors for calling his
client a "witch doctor", arguing that Mr Omigie was a respected chief
here in Nigeria
"Mr. Omigie is a Nigerian tribal chief, a title
he inherited from his father, and he is a native doctor. The term
'witch doctor' is both pejorative and wrong."
Goins said his client had a "minimal" role in the drug scheme and that his sentence is "greatly out of proportion."
"While
Mr. Omigie was involved in this drug scheme, he was not a major figure
in this, and in fact his involvement was extremely limited and minor,"
he said.