Canadian Woman Caught With 35.20kg Of Cannabis At Lagos Airport Gets 11-Year Jail Term

A Canadian woman, Adrienne Munju, 41, has been sentenced to 11 years in prison by a Federal High Court in Lagos for importing 74 parcels of synthetic cannabis, known as “Canadian Loud,” weighing 35.20 kilograms into Nigeria.

Munju was arrested by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) on October 3, 2024, at Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Ikeja, Lagos, during a routine clearance of passengers arriving on a KLM flight.

She pleaded guilty to two counts of drug trafficking and was sentenced to six years imprisonment on count one and five years on count two. However, the judge provided Munju (Canadian woman) with the option of a fine of N50 million for each count, totaling N100 million.

The Canadian woman claimed she was recruited online to traffic the illicit consignment for a payment of 10,000 Canadian dollars upon successful delivery in Lagos, stating she needed the money to fund her master’s degree program in Canada.

Femi Babafemi, spokesperson for the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), who confirmed this, said that Munju’s conviction followed her arraignment on a two-count charge before Justice Dehinde Dipeolu.

In her post-arrest statement, Munju confessed that she was recruited to traffic the illicit consignment through an online platform for a payment of 10,000 Canadian dollars upon successful delivery in Lagos. She accepted the offer due to financial pressures, as she needed the funds to pay for her ongoing master’s degree program in Canada.

Justice Dipeolu convicted and sentenced Munju after she pleaded guilty to the charges brought against her by the NDLEA. Prosecuting counsel, Barrister Abu Ibrahim, informed the court that Munju’s actions violated sections 20(1)(a) and 19 of the NDLEA Act, Cap N30, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004, and are punishable under Section 20(2)(a) of the same Act.

After her guilty plea, the prosecutor called Assistant Superintendent of Narcotics Angela Mba as a witness. Mba recounted the arrest and presented exhibits, including two suitcases used to conceal the drugs, Munju’s Canadian passport, her confessional statements, laboratory test reports, and samples of the illicit drugs. These exhibits were accepted by the court as evidence.

Following the review of the facts and evidence, Justice Dipeolu sentenced Munju to six years imprisonment on the first count and five years on the second count. The judge, however, gave the option of a fine: N50 million on each count, amounting to a total fine of N100 million.

The charges against the Canadian woman, Munju read:

“That you, Adrienne Munju, Adult, Female, a Canadian, on or about the 3rd of October, 2024, during the inward clearance of passengers on a KLM flight at the ‘D’ Arrival Hall of Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos, without lawful authority, imported 35.20 kilograms of Cannabis Sativa, otherwise known as ‘Canadian Loud,’ thereby committing an offense contrary to Section 20(1)(a) and punishable under Section 20(2)(a) of the NDLEA Act, Cap N30, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.”

Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig Gen Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), commended the NDLEA officers involved in the case and the judiciary for the swift adjudication. He remarked that the conviction serves as a strong warning to foreigners and others contemplating smuggling illicit drugs into Nigeria.