Man, 27, jailed 7 years for drug trafficking

Jos – The Federal High Court 1, Jos, on Friday sentenced a 27-year old man, Babale Mohammed, to seven years imprisonment for possessing Indian hemp and psychotropic substances.

Mohammed was convicted for possessing 20 kilogrammes of Indian hemp and 30 grammes of intoxicating drugs, LSD and Diazepam.

Delivering judgment on the case, the judge, Justice Ambrose Allagoa, said the prosecution had done an excellent job that assisted the court to arrive at its decision.

Allagoa said the evidences tendered before the court by the prosecution had convinced the court beyond reasonable doubt that the convict committed the offence.

“The confessional statement of the accused has also assisted the court to convict the suspect.

“The court has relied on the strength of the plea of the accused to convict him,” the judge said.

Earlier, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) prosecutor, Mr Mike Kassa, told the court that the accused was arrested on April 28 at about 3 a.m at Bakin Kogi area, Shendam Local Government Area, Plateau.

Kassa said the accused was arrested while in possessing of a bag containing 20 kilogrammes of Indian hemp and some intoxicating drugs.

He said the convict illegally possessed the substances without permission from any authority.

The prosecutor tendered a certificate of analysis of the substances from a laboratory that confirmed  the substances to be illegal products.

Kassa also tendered the confessional statement of the accused and the Ghana-must-go bag containing the substances as an exhibit.

“My lord, since the accused had confessed to his crime, I hereby urge the court to give him a summary trial to serve as  deterrent to others.

“My lord, the accused has committed an offence contrary to the NDLEA law as amended in 2004,” the prosecutor said.

When the case came up for hearing, the accused pleaded guilty to the charge and begged the court for leniency, saying that he had aged parents to look after.

Allagoa warned him to desist from selling hard drugs after his term, saying that the court would not be lenient to him in future.(NAN)