Woman, 36, gets 18 months imprisonment for trafficking marijuana

A Federal High Court sitting in Lagos on Wednesday, sentenced a 36-year-old woman, Kehinde Ayinde, to 18 months imprisonment for trafficking in Indian hemp.
The convict was arraigned by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) on a one-count charge. She pleaded guilty to the charge.
In the charge, the convict was said to have committed the offence on Feb. 2, 2016.
The Prosecutor, Mr Aliyu Abubakar, told the court that the accused was arrested at the Ibereko Area of Badagry, Lagos, for trading in Cannabis Sativa also known as Indian hemp.
According to him, about 1.5 kilograms of the substance was found in the possession of the convict, which she reportedly sold to her customers.
Abubakar said that the convict was consequently arrested and detained. He tendered some documents, including the convict’s statement, a request for scientific aid form and drug analysis form as well as remnants of the illicit drug.
He told the court that the offence contravened the provisions of Sections 11 (c) of the NDLEA Act, Cap 30, Laws of the Federation, 2004 and urged it to sentence the accused based on available evidence.
Shortly before sentence, the convict pleaded with the court to be lenient on the grounds that she was a first offender and promised to be a better person if pardoned.
In his judgment, Justice Abdulazeez Anka found the accused guilty as charged and sentenced her to 18 months imprisonment.
He ordered that the sentence should run from the date of her arrest and that the exhibit should be destroyed by the NDLEA.