Nigerian Court Sentences Three Bolivians To 6-year Jail Term Each
Concise News correspondents with agency report
A Federal High Court Lagos, on Tuesday sentenced three Bolivians to six years imprisonment each for unlawful production of restricted narcotics, Methamphetamine.
The convicts are Yerko Artunduago, Reuben Ticona, Hugo Chavaez Morenoa.
The trial judge, Justice Oluremi Oguntoyinbo convicted the three Bolivians on Nov. 21 after they pleaded guilty to the two-count charge of drug trafficking preferred by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).
Reviewing the facts of the case, the prosecutor, Abu Ibrahim, had tendered several evidences including certificate of test analysis, drug analysis reports, statements of the convicts which were written in English and Portuguese.
These were admitted as exhibits by the court.
Delivering judgment on Tuesday, Justice Oguntoyinbo, said the jail terms prescribed by the NDLEA Act for count one of the charge is life imprisonment without prescribing minimum sentence.
The judge also stated that the prescribed jail term for the second count is 25 years without prescribing a minimum jail term.
Consequently, Justice Oguntoyinbo sentenced the three Bolivians to six years imprisonment on each count.
She ordered that the jail terms would run concurrently, and it will start counting from Feb. 2, 2012, when they were arrested by NDLEA operatives.
In the charge, the convicts were said to have unlawfully engaged in the production of the narcotics and had used a property located in Satellite Town as production site.
Punch reports that the NDLEA had told the judge that the foreigners violated Section 22 (a) of the NDLEA Act and were liable to be jailed for life or imprisoned for not less than 25 years.
In her judgment, however, Justice Oguntoyinbo said what the law prescribed was a maximum of 25 years, but that a judge could, based on discretion, impose a lesser jail term.
She consequently sentenced the convicts to six years on each count. She said the sentence would run concurrently and would start from February 3, 2012, when they were arrested.
This court ruling threw the convicts into jubilation mood as they were seen posing for pics after the court proceedings.
