Though the former president of the Auckland Igbo Association - according to the court - gave evidence at trial to say he had lured his colleague Leefe into the shady business, Justice Susan Thomas today said it did not demonstrate any real remorse.
The 45-year-old's next task was to deliver the drugs to those further up the chain of command - to Hyacinth Damus Ochibulu, Ugochukwa Kingsley Okpara and Nnamdi Augustine Iwu.
The Crown pegged 36-year-old Iwu as the "prime mover" in the New Zealand branch of the cartel, with 27-year-old Okpara acting as his "right-hand man".
The plan was for Obiaga to conceal the bags under some bushes in the Air New Zealand cargo car park near the airport for the others to retrieve.
But three days later when they came to pick them up, there was nothing inside the bags because it had been removed hours earlier by police.
Feverish finger-pointing ensued with Iwu accusing Obiaga of stealing the narcotics for himself and Obiaga then blaming Leefe and friends of hers for the mysterious disappearance.
Iwu even threatened Obiaga's Nigerian based family over the stoush, which the Crown used as evidence of his leadership.
As well as the physical importation there were two other consignments sent to addresses linked to Ochibulu.
On November 20, a package from the Philippines was delivered containing 487gm of meth hidden in the heels of shoes and 11 days later some handbags came from Cameroon with 640gm concealed in their bases.
Ochibulu's lawyer Murray Gibson said the efforts of all defendants were "spectacularly unsuccessful" as no methamphetamine ever made it to the marketplace.
The four Nigerian-born defendants will be deported after serving a third of their sentences and as a result, Justice Thomas said there was no need for minimum periods of imprisonment to be imposed.
Nnamdi Augustine Iwu - 18 years
Ugochukwa Kingsley Okpara -16 years 2 months
Hyacinth Damus Ochibulu - 15 years 10 months
David Ikenna Obiaga - 15 years 10 months
Nancy Leefe - 9 years
