By Olaitan Ibrahim
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.”
A source 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.