Two Foreigners Bag 45 Years For Drugs

Posted by admin Headlines, NDLEA (Anti-Drug Agency) Saturday, July 9th, 2011

A Federal High Court in Lagos, on Friday, sentenced a Taiwanese, Fong Chiu Sen and a Chinese, Wang Richard, to a cumulative jail term of 45 years for conspiring to import about 450.4 kilogrammes of cocaine from the Republic of Chile into Nigeria.

Three Nigerians, Inua Mohammed, Ezeala Kingsley and Godswill Asomugha, who have been standing trial alongside the duo were, however, discharged and acquitted following lack of evidence linking them to the crime.

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) had on August 16, 2010, arraigned the foreigners and the Nigerians on a four-count charge for the alleged crime.

The judge, Justice Okon Abang, while examining the extent of the involvement of the foreigners in the crime, as alleged in counts one and two of the charge, declared that the container carrying the hard drugs was the same which the first accused (Fong Chiu Sen) claimed was carrying cigarettes.

The court held that there was actually a meeting between the accused to import a container which was later found to contain cocaine.

It observed that the accused used the name of one Honourable Mike Njoku as the consignee of the container as a cover-up.

“Circumstantial evidence with unbroken chain of events have shown that the duo actually had intention of importing cocaine into Nigeria,” the judge held.

Consequently, the judge declared that their defence was only an afterthought and that the prosecution had proven beyond reasonable doubt that the duo conspired to import cocaine into Nigeria.

The court lashed out at the NDLEA over its failure to arrest the customs officials who failed to inspect the container at the appropriate point.

He found the two foreigners guilty as charged, while he discharged and acquitted the three Nigerians on the premise that the prosecution did not prove its case against them.

He also ordered that the property of Inua Mohammed (third accused) which was seized by the agency be returned to him.

He sentenced Fong Chiu Sen to 15 years imprisonment on each of counts one and two and Wang Richard to 15 years jail term on count one.

The sentences are, however, to run concurrently.

-Tribunewp_posts