ENTEBBE – The aviation police is holding a 24-year-old Venezuelan national for alleged possession of narcotic drugs at Entebbe International Airport.
According to statement issued by police Saturday morning, the Aviation police received intelligence information that on June 17, 2018 a passenger travelled from Sao Paulo in Brazil on board Ethiopian Airline Flight No. ET 507 to Addis Ababa heading to Nairobi.
While in Capital Addis Ababa, the suspect changed her routing to Entebbe and was suspected to be carrying narcotic drugs.
On arrival at Entebbe International Airport, she was identified by the Aviation Police and the customs officials attached to Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) but on searching her bags the alleged drugs were not found.
She was later subjected to a scan which revealed she had drugs swallowed in her stomach. She was then put under observation and passed out the 114 pellets (1660 grams) of suspected cocaine.
Upon interrogation, the suspected revealed that on June 17 2018, she was approached by a man only known to her as ANTONIO who promised to get her a better job.
He took her in a house located in Villa Yolanda Sao Paulo Capital and forced her to swallow the pellets of drugs.
She was escorted to the airport where she boarded a plane to Addis Ababa, and hr final destination was to go to Alcom Hotel in Kibuli, Uganda where a contact who was not told the names was to receive her.
According to her, she was to receive USD2000 upon completion of the deal.
Aviation police has since preferred charges of unlawful possession of narcotic drugs and trafficking in narcotic drugs vide Case Reference AVPOL CRB 142/2018.
The 24-year-old suspect identified as Rodriguez Fagundez Albelys Doralys, a Venezuelan national, now detained at Entebbe Police Station pending arraignment before courts of law.
About Law on possession of such drugs
The punishment provided for in Section 4(2) (a) of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic substances control Act 2016 for possession of narcotic drugs is a fine not less than five hundred currency points or three times the market value of the drug whichever is great.
Then for trafficking in narcotic drugs, it is a fine not less than five hundred currency points or three times the market value of the drug whichever so greater and in addition, to imprisonment for life.
The suspects taken to court nowadays are awarded lighter sentence of fine of five hundred currency points equivalent of ten million Uganda shillings but according to police, it would be greater if there is a Government Valuer to provide the list of prices of these drugs.
According to sections 67 and 68 of the Narcotic and Psychotropic Substances Act 2006, the minister is mandated to appoint a committee to responsible to handle all related charges.
