Justice Ambrose Lewis-Alagoa of the Federal High Court in Lagos has convicted and sentenced a 24-year-old Thailand national Patthaphi Wimonnat to five years in prison for importing Cannabis Sativa into Nigeria.
Justice Lewis-Alagoa jailed Wimonnat after she pleaded guilty to the three-count charge of drug trafficking brought against him by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).
The foreigner was arrested by the NDLEA with the cannabis Sativa on February 20, 2025, during the clearance of passengers arriving on a Qatar Airways flight from Thailand via Doha, Qatar, at Terminal 2 of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos.
The prosecutor, Abu Ibrahim, told the judge that the convict confessed during the investigation that a drug cartel had recruited her to carry the drugs, offering her $3,000 for the successful delivery of the illicit consignment in Nigeria.
Ibrahim informed the court that the total weight of the seized cannabis was 46.60 kilogrammes and that it is classified as a drug similar to cocaine, heroin and LSD.
The lawyers further maintained that the offence contravened section 11(a) of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency Act Cap. N30, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004, and punishable under the same Act.
When she was first arraigned, the convicted foreigner pleaded not guilty to the charges.
However, at the resumption of her trial on Friday, Wimonnat changed her plea to guilty.
Following her new plea, the prosecutor presented the facts of the case and urged the court to convict her based on her admission of guilt and the evidence presented.
The defence counsel, Chief Benson Ndakara, pleaded for mercy on her behalf, urging the court to temper justice with mercy.
He claimed that the convict was deceived into committing this act, that she is now remorseful, and that she would act differently if given a second chance.
After listening to the lawyers, Justice Lewis-Allagoa sentenced the convict to five years in prison or a fine of three million naira instead of the custodial sentence.
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