20 Ghanaian fishermen sentenced for trafficking marijuana to Nigeria
By DL News
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They were arrested on January 14, 2022, with 13.670kg of marijuana, aka cannabis Sativa, and arraigned by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).
A Federal High Court in Nigeria on Thursday sentenced 20 fishermen from Ghana to one-year imprisonment for trafficking marijuana to Nigeria.
According to local media, they were arrested on January 14, 2022, with 13.670kg of marijuana, aka cannabis Sativa, and arraigned by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).
The accused persons are Francis Teye, Kweke Komel, Gad Adjah, Theophilus Tetteh, Kwesi Aboagye, Ekon Fynn, Kwamena Baah, Kwabena Adjei, Micheal Okutu, Isaac Kofi, Kweku Moko, Kwesi Adzi and Kweku Mensah.
Others are Micheal Kofi, Ekon Bentum, Kwesi Amissah, Joshua Huago, Otu Otipeseku, Isaac Yorsson and Nana Kodwo.
They pleaded guilty to the charges, the Punch reported.
In court, Nigerian Prosecutor, Mr Fingere Owen, said the offences were contrary to and punishable under sections 11(b) and 14(b) of the country’s National Drug Law Enforcement Agency Act Cap. N30, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004.
However, lawyers for the accused persons told the court his clients who were first-time offenders were engaged by a purported customer, who did not tell them the contents of the bag.
Justice Nicholas Oweibo convicted and sentenced them after finding them guilty of charges of conspiracy and unlawful transportation of the drug.
The judge also ordered that the sentence commences from their arrest date.
The judge, however, ordered the convicts to pay the sum of N50, 000 (GH¢1,024.11) each in place of the sentence and forfeited to the Nigerian government, the boat used in smuggling the banned substance.
