BRATISLAVA, September 6, (WEBNOVINY) — Nigerian Orji Agwu Ikweche (30) who smuggled cocaine to Slovakia in capsules in his own body will spend the next 15 years behind bars. Bratislava Regional Court rejected his appeal. The appellate court maintained that the first instance court issued its guilty verdict in accordance with the law and properly evaluated available evidence. The District Court Bratislava I was right when it concluded that the defendant has committed a particularly serious crime of smuggling narcotics.
The convicted Nigerian argued in his appeal against the length of the sentence and the level guarding at the correctional facility where he should serve his time. The District Court Bratislava I. sentenced him in April to 15 years in a prison with a maximum degree of security.
The Nigerian was arrested at Bratislava M. R. Stefanik Airport in March 2011 after arriving from Spain. According to the indictment, cocaine found in his body was worth more than 70,000 euros. In his digestive tract he had 78 packages that contained 1,400 grams of cocaine.
He testified in court claiming that he did not know he had narcotics in his stomach. He claimed that a friend of his uncle told him he was carrying antibiotics, medicaments that are burdened with a high customs duty. He told the court that it did not attempt the transport for personal gain but was misused. „I’m very sorry, I’ve never done such a thing before, I ask for forgiveness,“ he said. The sentence, he said, is very high. „I have a fiancée who is waiting for me. Don’t let my first mistake ruin my life,“ he said in English.
SITA