By: Seringe ST Touray
On Thursday, August 18, 2023, Principal Magistrate Modou Njie sentenced two Guinea Bissau nationals who had been previously apprehended locally by the Drug Law Enforcement Agency of The Gambia (DLEAG), in suspicion of aggravated drug trafficking.
After having pled guilty to their respective charges, the magistrate ordered the sentencing of either ten years imprisonment for each of the convicts, or a fine amounting to a D12 million – with either option leading up to deportation of the convicts to their native countries of Guinea Bissau.
“The convicts are sentenced to a fine of D12,000,000 forthwith and in default to serve 10 years imprisonment each. They shall be immediately deported to their native country of Guinea Bissau after serving this sentence and payment of the fine.”
The two traffickers were arrested by the DLEAG with 104 kilos of cocaine, EUR4,000, GMD2,950, and a Toyota Rav vehicle, all of which have been forfeited to the state. This ruling, among a growing number of arrests and convictions, continues to sound alarm bells about the rise of illegal drug importation and a correlated rise in their consumption by Gambians.
