Thursday, March, 12 2026 - An Indian court has sentenced a Nigerian national, Christian Arinze, to 20 years’ imprisonment after finding him guilty of trafficking illicit drugs into the country.
According to India’s Narcotics Control Bureau on Wednesday
that Arinze was convicted alongside his Zambian accomplice, Hanchabila John, by
a court in Ahmedabad.
According to the agency, John was arrested on September 3,
2021, after arriving at Ahmedabad Airport on a flight from Dubai with about
2.75 kilograms of heroin.
The suspect was reportedly intercepted by operatives of the
Narcotics Control Bureau, who discovered the drugs during a search at the
airport.
Following investigations and trial, the Special Court for
Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances cases in Ahmedabad sentenced the two
foreigners to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment and imposed a fine of Rs
200,000 each.
In a post on X on Tuesday, the bureau said, “The Additional
District and Sessions Court, Ahmedabad, has sentenced Hanchabila John, a
Zambian national, and Christian Arinze, a Nigerian national, to 20 years of
rigorous imprisonment, along with a fine of Rs 2 lakh each.
“The case relates to the seizure of 2.757 kilograms of
heroin at Ahmedabad Airport in September 2021, which led to the arrest of the
two convicts.”
The agency also urged citizens to report narcotics-related
activities through the MANAS helpline, assuring that the identities of
informants would remain confidential.
Arinze’s conviction comes less than 72 hours after 93
Nigerians were arrested in Ghana over alleged involvement in fraud and human
trafficking.
Earlier, about 43 other Nigerians were detained in
Mozambique in circumstances the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission described as
potentially xenophobic, noting that they were not formally charged with any
crimes
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