By WANDOO SOMBO

The Federal High Court, Abuja on Tuesday, sentenced a drug trafficker, Vincent Chukwu, to five years’ imprisonment, prompting the convict to break down in tears after the sentence was pronounced.

Chukwu was arraigned by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) on a two-count charge bordering on concealing 735.95g of cocaine through ingestion with intent to export.

The prosecutor, Mr A.G Yuanyam, told the court that the defendant was arrested on Feb. 4 at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport during outward clearance of a Qatar Airways flight.

Upon arraignment, the defendant pleaded guilty to both counts.

In proving the case, the prosecution called one witness, Abdulwahab Ahmed, an exhibit officer with the NDLEA.

While giving evidence, Ahmed told the court that the defendant excreted the ingested substance in his presence.

“The suspect was taken for a scan and the scan came out positive for a substance suspected to be hard drugs.

“He was detained and on about day five, he excreted 52 pallets of a substance suspected to be cocaine and after excretion, a field test was conducted and the substance was confirmed to be cocaine.

“A total of 735.95g was what he excreted.

“He wrote a statement after each excretion in the presence of his lawyer,” the witness said.

The witness tendered the pallets of cocaine, some cash, and the defendant’s statements in evidence, all of which were admitted by Justice Mohammed Umar and marked accordingly.

Following the admission of the exhibits, the prosecutor urged the court to convict the defendant based on his guilty plea and the evidence presented.

He also said that the money and his international passport be forfeited to the Federal Government.

The court subsequently convicted Chukwu as charged.

In his allocutus, defence counsel, Mr E.U Okeryi, pleaded for leniency, urging the court to temper justice with mercy, noting that the defendant was a first-time offender who did not waste the court’s time.

“My Lord, the convict is sober, he is 34 years old and married with a child and aged parents who depend on him.

“He is a first time offender and the circumstance he found himself in is precarious and demands pity and mercy.

“He sells cloths in Balogun Market but the shop was not doing so well and he was swamped in debts; that’s why he fell into this when he was approached and persuaded,” he said.

The lawyer urged the court to consider a fine instead of a custodial sentence, adding that the defendant had learned his lesson.

Delivering judgment, the court sentenced Chukwu to five years’ imprisonment with hard labour on count one and five years on count two, with the sentences to run concurrently.

The court also ordered that the cocaine be returned to the NDLEA for destruction. (NAN)