Mother of 7 bags 16 months jail for drug trafficking

The Federal High Court, Abuja has sentenced a 51-year-old mother of seven to 16 months imprisonment for unlawful dealing in narcotics.

Justice Nkeonye Maha, convicted Rose Phillips, on a count charge of possession of 44 kilogrammes of Indian hemp, filed against her by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).

Counsel to Phillips, Mr Femi Aigbe, had told the court that the convict, prior to dealing in cannabis, was a tomato seller, and mother of seven children, aged between seven and 25 years.

The counsel pleaded with the court to temper justice with mercy since the convict was a first time offender and did not waste the time of the court as she pleaded guilty.

The prosecutor, Mr Mike Kasa, had told the court that Phillips was arrested in 2018 by officers of the NDLEA, along GwagwaladaAbaji highway in the FCT.

He also told the court that she concealed the substance in bags covered with fresh leaves.

The sentence is expected to commence from when she was arrested in Oct. 2018. (NAN)