Two Meru drug peddlers were on Wednesday sentenced to life in prison.
James Muthiora, alias, Karinta and his wife Fridah Karimi were among four others nabbed at the former’s home during a raid led by then DCIO James Githinji and the then county commissioner Wilfred Nyagwanga.
The others were; Timothy Kinoti Kariaci, Joseph Ekeno Ekeno and Jacob Githae Mukunyu.
Our relentless enforcement of laws has had many successes, some documented and others gone without being told. Narcotics drugs and psychotropic substance control act spells out enhanced punishment as a deterrence against drug and related vices.
A couple, Mr. James Muthiora and pic.twitter.com/ulRrfqhWg7
— National Police Service-Kenya (@NPSOfficial_KE) September 30, 2021
The group denied three charges of trafficking 103kg of bhang worth Sh3,090,000 at Kooje Estate in North Imenti on November 1, 2018.
While convicting the two, Senior Principal Magistrate Thomas Muraguri said the prosecution had proved beyond reasonable doubt their culpability.
“In the first count, the accused person is sentenced to pay a fine of Sh4.6 million or serve five years in prison for trafficking in a narcotic drugs contrary Section 4 and Psychotropic Substances Control Act,” ruled Muraguri.
Read: Narcotics Amendment Bill Spells Doom For Public Servants Dealing Drugs
“In addition to the third count, the accused person was sentenced to life imprisonment for being in possession of utensils used in connection with the preparation of narcotic drugs contrary to Section 5 and Psychotropic Substances Control Act meaning the fine runs concurrently with the life sentence.”
Kariaci, Ekeno and Mukunyu were, however, set free over lack of sufficient evidence linking them to the offence.
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