A woman found guilty of drug trafficking has been sentenced to serve six years imprisonment.
Nehma Adan Maalim who pleaded guilty in a Mandera court was trafficking bhang and cozepam in Metata estate within Mandera town on September 3, 2018.
The Senior Resident Magistrate (SRM), Duncan Mtai dropped an alternative charge of child theft where the accused was to face the third count during the proceedings.
While giving the ruling the SRM ordered the accused to serve six months jail term or a fine of Sh. 30, 000 being in
possession of 180 cozepam tablets in her kiosk that she intended to sell to customers.
For the second count of trafficking in drugs, Metata was ordered to pay a fine of Sh. 200,000 or serve six years with the sentences to run concurrently.
Mutai noted that Metata was found trafficking 87 stones of cannabis sativa valued at Sh. 8,700.
In mitigation the accused accepted the two charges leveled against her but pleaded for leniency, saying she is a mother with young children and that if sentenced the children would suffer.
The SRM said that drug abuse is a menace to youth and that young people form the bedrock of the country’s future development. He gave the accused 14 days to appeal.
By Zakariya Abdullahi