Togo national sentenced to 7 years in prison after smuggling cocaine into Seychelles
General |Author: Betymie Bonnelame | August 6, 2021, Friday @ 12:53| 4553 views
The Palais de Justice which houses the Supreme Court. (Judiciary)
(Seychelles News Agency) - The Seychelles Supreme Court has sentenced a Togo national to seven years in prison for the importation of a controlled drug.
The accused, Kalu Steven Ogidi, 44, was arrested on March 5 at the Seychelles international airport after he arrived on board an Ethiopian Airlines flight in possession of 762 grams of cocaine.
According to the court report, the counsel for the accused asked the court to show leniency to his client. "He has pleaded guilty, thus showing remorse for the offence committed."
When giving his ruling, Justice Melchior Vidot said that a guilty plea earns the accused credit as far as the sentence is concerned.
"Nonetheless, due to the quantity of controlled drugs, I find that this is an aggravating offence pursuant to section 7 (4) of the Misuse of Drug Act, as it is above 250 grams. ... In the circumstances, I convict the accused to a term of seven years imprisonment," said Vidot.
The convict has a right to appeal against this sentence within 30 working days.
Seychelles, a group of 115 islands in the western Indian Ocean, has a zero-tolerance policy towards trafficking and importation of illegal drugs. If found guilty, the maximum sentence is life imprisonment.