South African Woman Sentenced To 25 Years For Smuggling 5.75kg Heroin Into Nigeria
The Federal High Court in Abuja has sentenced a 38-year-old South African woman, Will Ann, to 25 years in prison for unlawfully importing 5.75 kilogrammes of heroin into Nigeria.
Justice Obiora Egwuatu handed down the sentence on Thursday after the defendant pleaded guilty to the offence.
Ann was arrested by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, while travelling with her three-year-old son.
She was arrested during the inward clearance of passengers aboard Qatar Airways Flight QR1433, which arrived in Abuja from Doha.
The NDLEA had arraigned Ann before the court in August, where she admitted importing the illicit drug into Nigeria on July 6.
Delivering judgment, Justice Egwuatu said the defendant had also admitted committing the offence in her extrajudicial statement before entering her guilty plea in court.
The judge held that the law was settled that a conviction ordinarily follows a plea of guilty where the ingredients of the offence are established.
He consequently convicted Ann on the charge.
Following her conviction, the prosecution urged the court to consider the value of heroin in determining the appropriate sentence, stating that 1kg of the substance was worth about N18 million.
In her plea for leniency, Ann asked the court to temper justice with mercy, expressing remorse and promising not to engage in such an offence again.
She also claimed that she was unaware that the bag contained illicit drugs.
However, Justice Egwuatu said criminal conduct could not be excused on the basis of emotions, stressing that “crime does not pay.”
The judge subsequently sentenced Ann to 15 years’ imprisonment on Count 1 and 25 years on Count 2.
He ordered that the sentences should run concurrently.
Justice Egwuatu further ordered that the seized heroin be destroyed if the convict failed to appeal the judgment within the period prescribed by law.