ISIOLO Kenya July 6 -Two General Service Unit(GSU) officers who were in May 2020 arrested with 598 kg of bhang have each been sentenced to 30 years imprisonment and fined Sh24 million.
In case of default of fine payment, the officers will each serve an additional five years, the Isiolo court ruled.
Constable Patrick Kinyua and Sergeant Shariff Mohammed were on July 5 sentenced by the Chief Magistrate’s Court Isiolo where they had been charged with the offence.
The two and three other suspects on May 24, 2020 arrested while ferrying the bhang.
According to court records, the two GSU officers were in a separate vehicle from the other three suspects.
They had packed the bhang in small sacks and stacked them in two high-end cars; a Landcruiser pick-up (GK B 993T) and a Toyota Prado (KBL 804 V).
According to a police report seen by Shahidi News, a multi-agency team acting on a tip intercepted the suspects at Gotu, Merti Junction to Isiolo town.
The police Landcruiser is attached to GSU Mariera Camp in Igembe Central, Meru County.
The other three occupants of the Prado were identified as, Barrack Boru, Mohammed Abdulahim, Mohammed Aden. In the Prado, police recovered 21 bales of bhang.
Police also took possession of a CZ firearm with 27 rounds of ammunition assigned to Sgt. Shariff.
They were later charged with the offence of trafficking narcotic drugs.
Section 4 of the Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Control Act provides for a fine of Sh1 million or three times the market value of the drug, whichever is greater, and in addition, imprisonment for life.
Considering the seriousness of the offence, courts usually impose the maximum sentence, which go a long way in dealing with the drug menace in the country.
Jailing leads to incapacitation that prevents future crime by removing the suspects from the society through incarceration, and in other jurisdictions, execution.
Punishment has at least five recognized purposes including deterrence, incapacitation, rehabilitation, retribution, and restitution.
It can be specific deterrence targeting an individual suspect or general deterrence applying to the public at large. When the public learns, for example, a drug trafficker has been severely punished by a sentence of life in prison, like in this case, this knowledge can inspire a deep fear of criminal prosecution.
On October 6 2021, for example, a Nigerian Austine Obinwanne Igwillo was also jailed for life and fined Sh180 million by the anti-narcotics court for trafficking 22kg of heroin valued at Sh66 million.
Principle Magistrate Lucas Onyina imposed the maximum sentence under the narcotics law to, among other things, reflect the seriousness of the offence and deter trafficking.
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