A Nigerian national has been condemned to 14 years of hard labor in prison for the importation of hard drugs in Mauritius. The sentence was passed by Judge Asraf Caunhye at the Mauritius Supreme Court.
Sources at the Anti-Drug and Smuggling Unit (ADSU) indicate that Elizabeth Iroegbu who hails from the Nigerian capital, Lagos arrived Mauritius by plane from South Africa on August 2008.
The sources add that while passing through Customs, the suspicion of ADSU officers were aroused by the awkward demeanor of Iroegbu.
Her luggage was searched and some 886 grams of heroin was found in her laptop bag, said the sources.
In her defense, Iroegbu disclosed to the officers that the bag had been given to her by another Nigerian woman, Chichi, at Cape Town airport in South Africa to be taken to Mauritius and that she was not aware that there were drugs in the bag.
The sources said that Iroegbu gave up the names of the contacts in Mauritius.
A “controlled delivery” was organized and the two local contacts of Iroegbu were captured by ADSU, added the sources.
In his ruling, Judge Caunhye indicated that though the accused had fully collaborated with the local police authorities which simplified the arrest of the local contacts, the court considers that the offense is very serious and hence the harsh sentence.
Iroegbu pleaded for the leniency of the court saying that she had been misled by her acquaintance.
Source African Press Agency
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