MALAYSIA: NIGERIAN STUDENT SENTENCED TO DEATH FOR CANNABIS TRAFFICKING

July 25, 2013: The High Court in Shah Alam, Malaysia, sentenced a Nigerian college student to death after he was found guilty of trafficking in 6.25kg of cannabis three years ago.
Ugonna Philip Nwankwo, 29, was charged with two counts of drug trafficking.
The first charge was for distributing 4.85kg of cannabis at a bus stop in front of a shopping mall in Petaling Jaya at 1pm on Nov 9, 2010.
The second was for distributing 1.4kg of cannabis at No. 4, Jalan SS12/2D, Bandar Baru Subang Jaya, Petaling Jaya, at 3pm on the same day.
Judge Noor Azian Shaari said the court found statements by the accused about the drugs found inside a plastic bag in his trouser pocket and in his rented home, to be illogical and unreasonable.
"The accused's stories were merely to deny that an offence had been committed.
"The prosecution had succeeded in proving the elements of possession and distribution of drugs through direct evidence."
He also said the accused's claim that he was not living in his rented home when he arrested was just a denial attempt.
The judge said he had evaluated the case based on evidence presented by the police, who had found the accused's passport and several letters which bore the name of the accused at the house.
Deputy public prosecutor Aida Mastura Mohamed Aman led the prosecution while Afifuddin Ahmad Afifi represented the accused. (Sources: AFP, 26/07/2013)