A Federal High Court in Lagos has sentenced 41-year-old Canadian woman, Adrienne Munju, to 11 years in prison for importing 35.20 kilograms of Canadian Loud, a potent strain of synthetic cannabis, into Nigeria.
Justice Dehinde Dipeolu, on Wednesday, handed down the verdict, giving Munju an option of N100 million fine on the two counts preferred against her by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).
Munju pleaded guilty to the charges, leading to her conviction and sentencing.
The NDLEA prosecutor, Abu Ibrahim, stated that Munju imported the cannabis without lawful authority on October 3, 2024, during the inward clearance of passengers on a KLM flight at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos.
This offense, he said, contravened the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency Act Cap N30, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.
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Munju’s counsel, Benson Ndakara, pleaded for leniency, stating that Munju was “very remorseful” and had vowed never to engage in criminal activity again.
Ndakara added that Munju was deceived into taking the risk and urged the court to be lenient in sentencing her.
Justice Dipeolu sentenced Munju to six years imprisonment on count one and five years on count two, with an option of N50 million fine on each count.
Both the sentence and fine will run concurrently.
Munju was arrested by NDLEA operatives, at the Lagos airport, with 74 parcels of the illicit substance stuffed in two of her three bags.
She claimed she was recruited online to traffic the consignment for 10,000 Canadian dollars to fund her Master’s degree program in Canada.
