Suspected drug barons Baktash and Ibrahim Akasha are set to appear before court this week. 

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The two Kenyan brothers, who have been linked to the trafficking of drugs at the international level, risk being jailed for life if they are proven guilty of the charges leveled against them by the prosecution side. 

The duo will appear in separate sessions in New York as they fight for their freedom. 

The two siblings pleaded guilty to violating US laws following their arrest. The admitted conspiracy to smuggle 2Kgs of methamphetamine and 99kgs of heroin to the US. 

They also admitted attempting to interfere with the case through bribery. The brothers had attempted to stop their extradition to the US by bribing judges, police as well as prosecutors in the case but their attempts failed.

The US federal court in Manhattan is yet to name any Kenyan linked to the drug trafficking syndicate since the two were arrested over the matter. 

The suspects are likely to be handed a jail term of 10 years or a life sentence without any possibility of parole if they are proven guilty beyond doubt by the prosecutors of the case.

None of the Kenyans who took payoffs have so far been named in the proceedings in US federal court in Manhattan. 

The Akasha may also be fined between $50,000 (Sh5m)  and $10 million if they fail to prove their innocence in court.