Justice Dehinde Dipeolu of a Federal High Court, today convicted and sentenced a 41 year-old Canadian woman, Adrienne Munju, to total of 11 years imprisonment, for illegal importation of 35.20 kilograms of Canadian Loud, a High grade of cannabis Sativa popular called marijuana.
Justice Dipeolu convicted and sentenced Muju to the term of imprisonment following her plea of guilt to the two counts charge preferred against her by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).
The convicted Canadian, Adrienne Munju, according to the prosecutor, Barrister 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 sections 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 today, the prosecutor, Mr. Ibrahim told the court that his agency has a two count charge pending before the court and pleaded with the count to allow the charge be read so that the convict can take her plea. The 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.
The witness equally tendered some exhibits, which includes: 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 charge.
However, the Canadian who is a divorcee, in her plea for mercy, told the court that he was deceived into the crimes by his trusted black friends who gave her the suitcases but she did not know the content.
She told the court that she had greatly rejected her actions. An d she therefore pleaded with the court to be lenient with her.
Also, 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.
The lawyer added that the convict has vowed never to toe the line of criminality again and to be more careful in doing things in future if given a second chance.
Speaking on the aggravating factor leading to the crime, the convict’s lawyer said the convict was deceived into taken the high risk and urged the court to be lenient in sentencing her.
Ndakara also pleaded with the court to impose an option of fine on the convict instead of custodian sentence, adding that the Convicts has no relatives or acquittance in Nigeria and has been abandoned by everyone.
After listening to the defendant’s counsel allocutus, Justice Dipeolu sentence Adrienne Munju to six years imprisonment on count one and five years on count two.
The judge however gave the convict an option of N50 million fine on each counts. And ordered that both sentence and option of fine shall run concurrently.
The judge also ordered that the bulk of the drug be destroyed if there is no appeal against his judgment. And that the convict’s Canadian passport and handset be released to her at the completion of the jail-term of payment of the fine option.
According to information from the anti-narcotic agency , “during a joint examination of her three bags, Adrienne, who was in Nigeria for the first time, was found with 74 parcels of the illicit substance weighing 35.20 kilograms, stuffed in two of her three bags”.
The count one of the charge against the convict reads: “that you Adrienne Munju, Adult, Female, a Canadian, on or about the 3rd of October, 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 without lawful authority imported 35.20 Kilogrames of Cannabis Sativa, otherwise known as ‘Canadian Loud’, you thereby committing an offence contrary to Section 20(1)(a) and punishable under Section 20(2){a) of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency Act (NDLEA) Cap N30, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.”
