28-year-old Josephine to serve 7 year in jail for drugs smuggling/ Photo by Daniel Michael/13.04.2023

A high court in Juba county has sentenced a 28-year-old Ugandan woman to 7 years imprisonment for smuggling 700 grams of hard drugs.

Josephine Mbabazi was caught hiding the 700 kilograms of heroin in her pants and bra when she was arrested at Juba airport by the Anti-drug criminal department in August last year.

She was on her way to Brazil via Ethiopia with the drugs.

Mbabazi, according to the court, violated section 383 of the South Sudan Penal Act 2008 which provides for a prison term not exceeding fourteen years.

Prior to the verdict, she pleaded guilty.

When asked if she has a reason for the sentence to be reduced, Mbabazi said she is suffering from cancer and has left a two-year-old baby in Uganda.

In a ruling, the Kator High Court decided to reduce her jail term to seven years.

Presiding Judge Mujahid Abdullah read out the ruling.

“For the convict Mbabazi Josephina, the court imposed the following penalties, imprisonment for a period of seven years, starting from the 20 of August 2020 for violating section 383 of the South Sudan Penal Act 2008.”

The court also ordered the immediate confiscation and exterminated of the substance

According to section 383 of the South Sudan 2008 penal act whoever unlawfully imports, exports, sells, offers or advertises for sale, distributes, delivers, transports, or otherwise deals in a dangerous drug shall be sentenced to imprisonment for a period not exceeding fourteen years or with a fine or with both.