Nigerian man Uzoma Elele Alpha avoids death penalty, gets life in prison for possession of meth, pot
A Nigerian man was sentenced to life in prison for the possession of meth and marijuana, avoiding the usual death penalty by firing squad assigned for such drug crimes.
Uzoma Elele Alpha, 33, was sentenced by the Depok District Court after being arrested with seven kilograms of crystal methamphetamine and 300 grams of marijuana worth an estimated $451,400.
“Uzoma Elele Alpha has been proven guilty for owning grade 1 narcotic drugs and is sentenced to life imprisonment,” Judge Hariyanto said in his ruling at the court on the southern outskirts of Jakarta.
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The Jakarta Globe noted how the “sentence was lighted than the death penalty sought by prosecutors.”
An immigration raid of the apartment at Margonda tower in Depok led to the arrest of Alpha after he failed have valid papers for being in Indonesia. The subsequent drug test came up positive to THC from his pot use giving police the evidence needed to search his residence and discover the drugs.
Chief prosecutor Eddy Abdul Aziz said his team would consider mounting an appeal to obtain the death sentence.
Indonesia’s justice system takes a notoriously hard line on foreign drug offenders.
The country drew global condemnation earlier this year for a series of executions of drug convicts in which 12 foreign nationals and two Indonesians were gunned down by firing squad.
Photo/CIA
