NAIROBI, Kenya, Mar 28- A person found in possession of narcotic drugs amounting to between one and 100 grams will be fined not less than Sh30 million or imprisonment for 30 years, or both.
Where a person is in possession of more than 100 grams, one will be fined not less than Sh50 million or three times the market value, whichever is greater, or imprisonment for life or both.
The severe penalties are captured in the amended Narcotics, Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (Control) Act, which was gazetted on March 7.
The penalties are meant to combat the abuse of narcotics, drugs, and psychotropic substances in the country.
In the Act, a person(s) found to be manufacturing, possessing, or transporting chemicals for unlawful production of a narcotic drug, risks imprisonment for a term not less than 20 years.
“A law enforcement officer or a public officer who aids or abets any offence under this Act including through concealing the commission of any offence or colluding with any person suspected of committing an offence under this Act, commits an offence and shall be liable upon conviction to a fine of not less than Sh20 million shillings and imprisonment for a term of not less than 20 years,” the amended act reads.
The amended Act introduces the offence of conspiring with persons outside or inside Kenya to commit offences related to drug manufacturing, possession, and trafficking in or outside Kenya.
The law has mandated the prosecution to access any encrypted communication as most drug traffickers use the system to avoid conceal communication.
The court may also make orders for a police officer to enter premises and install devices to intercept or retain specific information.
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