A special court in the Bengaluru District of India has sentenced a Nigerian, Kingsley Samuel, to 14 years imprisonment for drug trafficking.
A report by The Times of India on Monday disclosed that the suspect was arrested in October 2022 with 140 grams of illicit drugs and taken into custody.
The report disclosed that Samuel was subsequently arraigned before the special judge for Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances cases, Vijaya Devaraj Urs.
He was subsequently found guilty of possessing illicit drugs without authorisation and overstaying his visa period in the country.
The convict was also asked to pay a fine of Rs 1.6 lakh.
The report read, “A special court has convicted a 44-year-old Nigerian national of drug peddling and sentenced him to 14 years of rigorous imprisonment, along with a fine of Rs 1.6 lakh.
Kingsley Samuel, a resident of Hennur, was arrested by Banaswadi police in Oct 2022 after they seized 140 grams of MDMA from him. He has since been in judicial custody at Bengaluru Central Prison.”
Quoting Judge Devaraj, the report continued, “You were found in illegal possession of 140 grams of methamphetamine without any licence or permission to sell it to the public, thereby committing an offence punishable under the NDPS Act.
“Further, as a Nigerian citizen who stayed beyond the expiry of your visa, you also violated visa conditions, thus committing an offence under the Foreigners Act.
“Kingsley also has to undergo an additional year of simple imprisonment if he fails to pay the fine.”
PUNCH Metro reported on Tuesday that a suspected drug dealer, Ezeonyili Uchenna, was arrested by officials of the India Talanga Narcotics Bureau, with no fewer than 17 grams of illicit drugs.
The suspect, also known as Kaleshi, was arrested following a tip-off of his arrival in the city. He was said to have denied possession of drugs, but after the officials searched him, they allegedly found the drugs in his pocket.
The Bauchi State Police Command has arrested five suspected drug dealers and seized a cache of illicit substances, including tramadol, diazepam, and ICE syrup, in a late-night raid.
Police spokesperson, SP Ahmed Wakil, who disclosed this in a statement on Monday, said the operation was carried out on April 27, at about 10pm by the Command Monitoring Unit led by CSP Abdulrazak Pada.
According to Wakil, the operation followed credible intelligence on drug-related activities in Unguwar Tudun Wadan Dan’iya — a community popularly known as Bayan Gari in the Bauchi metropolis.
He said a targeted search of several local shops in the area led to the arrest of five suspects: 35-year-old Adamu Muhammed; 50-year-old Mrs Okwudili Chikezic; 25-year-old Sunday Anaco; 20-year-old Miss Maryam Ahmed — all residents of Bayan Gari — and 20-year-old Tijjani Adamu from Miri, in Bauchi Local Government Area.
The raid uncovered significant quantities of banned substances including 30 sachets of tramadol tablets, 22 bottles of assorted ICE syrups, three penta injections, 10 sachets of diazepam tablets, and five ICE bunkers.
During interrogation, the suspects confessed to their involvement in drug trafficking and pledged to assist police with further investigations,” Wakil stated.
He added that the Commissioner of Police, CP Sani-Omolori Aliyu, has ordered a full investigation into the case and commended the team for its swift and coordinated response.
The suspects will be profiled and charged to court upon conclusion of investigations,” Wakil said.
The police urged parents, guardians, and community leaders to caution youths against substance abuse, stressing the long-term health risks and the role of community vigilance in curbing the menace.