This archive report was first published on 25 July 2019.
On July 25, 2019, the Akasha brothers, Baktash and Ibrahim, were set to face life imprisonment in separate US court sessions after pleading guilty to multiple drug-related charges.
The brothers, who were extradited from Kenya in 2017, had been held in New York detention centers for over two-and-a-half years.
As part of their plea deal, the brothers agreed to forfeit all the money they made from their illicit drug trade, which was not specified in US court documents.
US prosecutors have depicted Baktash as the head of the Akashas' long-standing drug empire based in Mombasa, with Ibrahim functioning as his deputy.
Prosecutors have also sought to link Baktash to the 2014 contract killing in South Africa of a drug gangster identified as 'Pinky.'
The brothers' defence attorneys have argued that they have serious health issues, including depression, diabetes, hypertension, ulcers, and 'morbid obesity,' which could be taken into consideration during sentencing.
