India court sentences Nigerian, Zambian nationals to 20 years in prison for drug trafficking

A court in Ahmedabad has sentenced a Nigerian and a Zambian national to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment in connection with an international drug trafficking case.

The special court handling cases under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act also imposed a fine of Rs 200,000 on each of the convicts, according to news agency Press Trust of India.

According to the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), its Ahmedabad zonal unit apprehended Hanchabila John, a Zambian citizen, on September 3, 2021, for smuggling 2.75 kilograms of heroin on a flight from Dubai to Ahmedabad.

Investigations later identified Nwaobu Christian Arinze, 37, as the intended receiver of the contraband. He was subsequently arrested by the NCB in Ahmedabad.

Authorities filed a complaint before the Additional District and Sessions Court in Ahmedabad on February 28, 2022, charging the two under relevant provisions of the NDPS Act.

Following a detailed trial, the court on Tuesday convicted both John and Arinze and sentenced them to 20 years in prison each, the NCB confirmed.