On Wednesday, a Federal High Court in Lagos sentence one 41-year-old Canadian lady, Adrienne Munju, to 11 years imprisonment for importing 74 parcels of Canadian Loud, a strong strain of synthetic cannabis, into Naija. The cannabis, which weigh 35.20 kilograms, was hidden inside two of her three bags.
Munju was arrested by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) on October 3, 2024, at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, during the inward clearance of in-bound passengers on a KLM flight. According to her statement, she was recruited through an online platform to traffic the drugs for 10,000 Canadian dollars to help pay for her master’s degree program in Canada.
The NDLEA prosecutor, Barrister Abu Ibrahim, charge her on two counts under the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency Act (NDLEA) Cap N30, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004. After she plead guilty to the charges, the prosecutor call a witness, Angela Mba, an Assistant Superintendent of Narcotics, who narrate how Munju was arrested and tender some exhibits including her Canadian passport and laboratory test analysis reports.
Justice Dehinde Dipeolu of the Federal High Court sentence Munju to six years imprisonment on count one and five years on count two. However, the judge give her an option of N50 million fine on each count, totaling N100 million.
The chairman/chief executive officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), commend the officers and men of the MMIA Strategic Command and the judiciary for the speedy adjudication of the case. He say the stiff penalty will serve as a strong warning to foreigners and others who may be contemplating bringing illicit drugs into Naija.
