Justice Dehinde Dipeolu of a Lagos Federal High Court, on Wednesday convicted and sentenced a 41-year-old Canadian woman, Adrienne Munju, to a total of 11 years imprisonment, for the illegal importation of 35.20 kilograms of Canadian Loud, a grade of cannabis Sativa popularly called Marijuana.
The trial Judge convicted and sentenced Munju, following her plea of guilt to the two counts of charge preferred against her by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).
The convicted Canadian, Adrienne Munju, according to the prosecutor, Abu Ibrahim, was arrested with the prohibited drug on October 3, 2024, during the inward clearance of in-bound passengers on KLM Flight at the 'D' Arrival Hall of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos.
The prosecutor told the court that the illegal acts of the convict contravened Ssctions 20(1)(a) and 19 of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency Act (NDLEA) Cap N30, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004. And punishable under Section 20(2)(a) of the same Act.
At the arraignment of the convicted Canadian, the prosecutor, Mr Ibrahim, told the court that his agency had a two-count charge pending before the court, and pleaded with the count to allow the charge to be read so that the convict could take her plea, a request which was granted.
When the charge was read on the order of the Judge, the Canadian pleaded guilty to same.
Following her guilty plea, the prosecutor called his witness, Angela Mba, an Assistant Superintendent of Narcotics (ASC) who told the court how the Canadian was arrested with the prohibited drugs, and equally tendered some exhibits, which included: two suitcases that were used in concealing the drugs, her Canadian passport, confessional statements, laboratory test analysis reports and samples of the banned drug. All the tendered exhibits were admitted as Exhibits 1 to 13 series.
Upon conclusion of the review of the facts of the crimes, the prosecutor urged the court to convict the Canadian as charged based on the evidence placed before the court, the exhibits tendered, and the guilty plea of the Defendant.
Consequently, Justice Dipeolu, on reviewing the facts of the case as submitted by Abu Ibrahim, convicted the Defendant as charged.
In her plea for mercy, the Canadian who is a divorcee, told the court that she was deceived into the crimes by her trusted black friends who gave her the suitcases, but she did not know the contents. She further told the court that she had greatly regretted her actions, and therefore, pleaded with the court to be lenient with her.
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Also, the Lawyer to the convicted Canadian, Chief Benson Ndakara leading Dennis Warri, Kate Igbo, and others, pleaded with the court to have mercy on the convict.
"We plead for leniency on behalf of the convict my Lord. The convict pleaded guilty at the earliest opportunity by not wasting the precious time of the court, and has been very remorseful. Ndakara also pleaded with the court to impose an option of fine on the convict, instead of a custodial sentence, adding that the convict has no relatives or acquittances in Nigeria and has been abandoned by everyone.
After listening to the Defendant's Counsel's allocutus, Justice Dipeolu sentenced Adrienne Munju to six years imprisonment on count one and five years on count two. The Judge however, gave the convict an option of a N50 million fine on each count. And, ordered that both sentence and option of fine shall run concurrently. The Judge also ordered that the bulk of the drugs be destroyed, if there was no appeal against his judgement. And that the convict's Canadian passport and handset be released to her, after the jail-term or payment of the fine
option.
