HASHISH TRAFFICKERS JAILED FOR 45 YEARS

A police reservist and an informer were yesterday sentenced to a total of
45 years in jail after they were convicted of trafficking in hashish.

Mohammed Taib and Idris Yusuf were sentenced to 30 years and 15 years
respectively for trafficking in hashish whose value is estimated at Sh500
million. They will, however, each serve 15 years in jail.

Passing sentence, Nairobi Chief Magistrate Boaz Olao said the circumstances
of the case against the duo dictated that a deterrent sentence be imposed.

He said the duo had been put in a position of trust by the government and
instead of honouring that trust "greed took the better of them as they
ended up being the criminals they were supposed to deter".

Taib was sentenced to 15 years in jail for trafficking 1,540 slabs of
cannabis resin (hashish) at a house in Shanzu area and a further 15 years
for trafficking in 4,715 kilos of cannabis resin at a house in Mombasa. The
sentences against him are to run concurrently.

Yusuf was also sentenced for 15 years after he was convicted of trafficking
in 1,540 slabs of hashish at a house in Shanzu area early in year 2000.

Olao had said that a fallout among drug barons led to the discovery of the
hashish in Mombasa in January 2000. He said the haul would have penetrated
the local market had the barons not differed with some alerting police over
the matter.

Olao had on Monday also acquitted David Wakhuha Wanyonyi, Jackson Ng'ang'a
Waweru, police officers Thomas Kalu Kada and Raphael Musembi Nduda who were
jointly charged with Taib and Yusuf. He had acquitted them for lack of
sufficient evidence.

The Chief Magistrate had also on September 13 last year acquitted two sons
of the slain drug baron Abraham Akasha, Baktash and Kamaldin, who had been
jointly charged with Taib and Yusuf. They were also acquitted for lack of
evidence. A suspect, Mr Patrick Wainaina Goko, died during the trial.

"The Attorney-General implores your honour, in exercising your discretion,
to award a deterrent sentence that will send a clear message that dealing
in drugs, trafficking in drugs is not profitable," a senior state counsel,
Ms Dorcas Oduor, told the court.

The court heard the value and amount of drugs involved in the case was
unimaginable and transcended borders, geographical or otherwise.

Oduor urged the court not to be swayed by any family and health conditions
that the convicts may advance in their mitigation before sentence.