A Nigerian who was caught transporting 209 parcels of Cannabis Sativa aka “Wee” from Ghana to Nigeria has been sentenced to 10 years imprisonment by a High Court. Michael Ede’s conviction came after he appeared before the Justice For All Programme (JFAP) sitting held at the Akuse Local Prison in the Eastern Region on Friday.
Ede who has been on remand for the past two years, pleaded guilty to the charge of Possession of narcotic drugs without lawful authority. The court presided over by Mr Justice Clemence K. Honyenuga, a Court of Appeal Judge said he took into consideration the number of years Ede had been on remand and the fact that he was a first offender who readily admitted the offence.
It further ordered that the 209 parcels should be destroyed in the presence of the Court’s Registrar, the District Police Commander in Somanya and the Police Investigator. Ede was however not pleased with the sentence meted out to him saying he thought he would be given a lesser punishment but the court explained to him that the sentence meted out to him was the minimum.
On June 9, 2016, Ede was picked up by the Police in Somanya after he was found with 209 parcels of Cannabis Sativa concealed in five boxes. Ede is said to have appeared before the JFAP court sitting on two different occasions but this time round he changed his plea to that of guilty.