Six get 8 years for 180.3kg cannabis drug trafficking charges |30 December 2020

The Supreme Court yesterday sentenced six men to eight years imprisonment each, on drug-trafficking charges.

The six men, aged between 36 and 51 years, were intercepted outside the Seychelles exclusive economic zone (EEZ) on Wednesday July 29, 2020.

The mastermind behind the offence was handed down an eight-and-a-half-year sentence on October 2, after having pled guilty on September 18.

Defence Attorney Clifford André expressed his dissatisfaction at the sentence handed down, whereas David Esparon who represents the prosecution said the Attorney General’s office would have been satisfied with a harsher sentence.

Five of the men involved in the matter were arrested on a sailing yacht, at sea, during a joint coordinated marine operation which had the participation of the Anti-Narcotics Bureau (ANB), the National Information Sharing and Coordination Centre (NISCC), Seychelles Air Force and Seychelles Coast Guard (SPDF).

During the operation, a large substantial quantity of suspected drugs was found in the possession of the five suspects. The seized contraband was later confirmed to be 180.3 kilogrammes of cannabis.

It must be noted that five of the men involved were remanded by the Supreme Court on Friday July 31, and later reappeared before court on August 14. The five and a further two persons, including the owner of the vessel, were charged by the Supreme Court on Friday August 28.

Laura Pillay