A Federal High Court in Abuja has sentenced a 38-year-old South African woman, Will Jessica Ann, to 25 years in prison for importing 5.75 kilogrammes of heroin into Nigeria.
Justice Obiora Egwuatu handed down the sentence on Thursday after Ann pleaded guilty to a two-count of conspiracy and unlawful importation of the drug.
The judge sentenced her to 15 years’ imprisonment on the first count and 25 years on the second count, with the sentences to run concurrently, meaning she will serve a maximum of 25 years.
Justice Egwuatu said the law does not permit emotions to influence the punishment for drug offences, stressing that “crime does not pay”.
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) had arraigned Ann before the court in August over the importation of the heroin on July 6.
Delivering judgment, Justice Egwuatu said Ann had admitted committing the offence in her extrajudicial statement before entering her guilty plea.
He held that the law was settled that a conviction follows a plea of guilty and subsequently convicted her.
The prosecution had urged the court to consider the street value of the heroin while sentencing Ann, stating that one kilogramme of the drug is worth about N18m.
Ann, who was given an opportunity to plead for leniency, expressed remorse and promised not to engage in the act again.
She also told the court that she did not know there were illicit drugs in the bags.
The NDLEA, in a statement by its Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, said Ann was arrested while travelling with her three-year-old son.
According to the agency, she was arrested on July 6 during the inward clearance of passengers on Qatar Airways Flight QR1433 from Doha at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.
The agency said Ann initially denied travelling with checked-in luggage, but operatives later established that two suitcases containing 14 large blocks of heroin had baggage tags matching the claim tags attached to her passport.
“Though she initially denied travelling with check-in bags, after operatives were able to quickly establish that the two bags containing the drugs had tags which tallied with the claim tags attached to her passport, she recanted and admitted ownership of the bags, adding that she forgot she checked in the two bags,” the statement read.
The NDLEA said Ann claimed she had travelled from Cambodia through Doha before arriving in Abuja.
However, during her arraignment, she admitted conspiring with a South African man, Jan Coenraad De Jager, in the offence.
The charge was brought under Section 14 of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency Act, Cap N30, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.
The court also ordered that the seized heroin be destroyed if Ann does not appeal within the period prescribed by law.
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