38-year-old South African woman jailed 25 years for sm¥ggling 5.75kg of her%in into Nigeria

A Federal High Court in Abuja has sentenced a 38-year-old South African woman, Will Jessica Ann, to 25 years in prison for unlawfully importing 5.75kg of her%in into Nigeria. Justice Obiora Egwuatu sentenced Ann to 15 years on the first count and 25 years on the second count, with both sentences running concurrently, meaning she will serve 25 years in prison.  Ann had pleaded guilty to conspiracy and unlawful importation of the drg after she was arrested by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, on July 6. She was arrested during the inward clearance of Qatar Airways flight QR1433 from Doha while travelling with her three-year-old son. The NDLEA said two suitcases containing 14 large blocks of her%in weighing 5.75kg were found after baggage tags on the bags were matched with claim tags attached to Anns passport. She initially denied travelling with checked-in luggage but later admitted owning the bags, claiming she had forgotten she checked them in.  Ann expressed remorse in court and said she did not know there were illicit drgs in the bags. She also promised not to commit such an offence again. The judge, while delivering the sentence, said the law was not influenced by emotions and stated that crime does not pay. The prosecution had urged the court to consider the estimated value of the her%in, put at about 18 million per kilogramme.  The NDLEA had also alleged that Ann was part of a transnational drg trafficking organisation operating along the Cambodia-South Africa route with her husband/partner, Jan Coenraad De Jager. Ann admitted conspiring with De Jager, who remains at large. The court further ordered that the seized her%in be destroyed if Ann does not appeal within the period allowed by law.  The post 38-year-old South African woman jailed 25 years for smggling 5.75kg of her%in into Nigeria appeared first on Linda Ikeji Blog.