US Court Postpones Sentencing of Confessed Kenyan Drug Trafficker Baktash Akasha

The sentencing of confessed Kenyan drug trafficker Baktash Akasha has been deferred to July 25th, 2019.

New York federal court judge Victor Marrero, who has been presiding over the Akasha case, on Wednesday agreed to postpone the sentencing that was scheduled for April 19th.

This comes after the prosecution applied to present evidence linking Baktash to the killing of a drug dealer in South Africa identified as "Pinky."

The sentencing of Baktash's younger brother Ibrahim is slated for July 26th. 

The two are facing sentences ranging from 10 years to life imprisonment after they pleaded guilty to six counts of drug trafficking and bribery last November.

US prosecutors have urged judge Marrero to impose the maximum sentence on Baktash, describing him as “a lifelong criminal of epic proportions.”

Baktash and Ibrahim were extradited to the US in January 2017 after government agencies discovered a major smuggling operation linking the poppy fields of Afghanistan to cities in Europe and the US.