A 41-year-old Canadian woman, Adrienne Munju, was convicted and sentenced to 11 years in prison by a Federal High Court in Lagos on Wednesday, October 23, 2024, for importing 74 parcels of "Canadian Loud," a potent strain of synthetic cannabis weighing 35.20 kilograms, into Nigeria.

Munju’s conviction followed her arraignment on two charges before Justice Dehinde Dipeolu. The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) arrested her at Terminal 1 of Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos, on Thursday, October 3, 2024, during the inward clearance of passengers arriving on a KLM flight at the 'D' Arrival Hall.

In her statement after her arrest, Munju claimed she was recruited to traffic the drugs through an online platform for 10,000 Canadian dollars upon successful delivery in Lagos. She stated that she accepted the offer to fund her ongoing master’s degree program in Canada.

Justice Dipeolu sentenced Munju to six years for the first count and five years for the second count 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 National Drug Law Enforcement Agency Act (NDLEA) Cap N30, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004, and were punishable under Section 20(2)(a) of the same Act.

Following her guilty plea, the prosecutor called his witness, Angela Mba, an Assistant Superintendent of Narcotics, who detailed Munju's arrest and presented various exhibits, including two suitcases used to conceal the drugs, her Canadian passport, confessional statements, laboratory test analysis reports, and samples of the illicit substance. All the exhibits were admitted as Exhibits 1 to 13.

After reviewing the facts of the case, the prosecutor urged the court to convict Munju based on the evidence presented. Justice Dipeolu, after considering the facts and the guilty plea, convicted the defendant as charged. The judge also allowed an option of N50 million fine on each count, amounting to a total of N100 million.

Commending the officers of the MMIA Strategic Command involved in the case, as well as the judiciary for the swift adjudication, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of the NDLEA, stated that the prompt conviction and harsh penalty serve as a strong warning to foreigners and others contemplating bringing illicit drugs into Nigeria.