A Zimbabwean woman has been sentenced to five years in prison for the importation and trafficking of controlled drugs in Seychelles.
Seychelles’ Supreme Court on Thursday sentenced Elsie Esther Vambe (45) to five years in prison for the importation of a controlled drug and another five years for trafficking a controlled drug.
According to the Anti-Narcotics Bureau (ANB), the sentences will run concurrently, which means Vambe will be imprisoned for five years.
Vambe pleaded guilty to both offences. She was given two five-year prison terms instead of the six years each, which apply to such offences after the judge considered certain facts.
The presiding Judge, Mohan Burhan, noted that Vambe is a first offender and pleaded guilty to all charges and this was considered by the court before she was sentenced.
The court heard that Vambe was arrested on October 26 after the ANB found 1.51kg of heroin and 503.70g of cocaine that she had hidden in the toilets on an Air Seychelles flight from Johannesburg, South Africa.
The Zimbabwean is the first foreign national to be sentenced on controlled drug charges in Seychelles this year.
The Indian Ocean island nation has a zero-tolerance drug policy and has recently put in place several measures to combat the trafficking of illicit drugs on its shores.