Nigerian sentenced to death for drug trafficking in Cambodia

A 45-year-old Nigerian, Ekwegbalu James Nzube, has been sentenced to death by the People’s Court of the southern border province of Tay Ninh, in Cambodia, after he was found guilty of drug trafficking.

Nzube was handed the death penalty on March 2, for illegally transporting nearly 4kg of methamphetamine in line with the 2015 Criminal Code.

Nzube, who was arrested in August 2020 at the border area of Vin Thuan Tay village of Loi Thuan commune in Ben Cau district between Cambodia and Vietnam, was caught carrying the drugs while crossing the border into Vietnam.

He had reportedly confessed to being hired by a Nigerian friend who had tasked him with transporting the drugs haul from Cambodia into the country in exchange for a fee of US$2,000.

READ ALSO: 119 Nigerians on death row in Malaysia for drug trafficking – Report

Before the arrest, Nzube stayed at Hoa Hong Hotel in To Ky Street, Trung My Tay ward, District 12, Ho Chi Minh City.

According to the indictment, the convict was arrested with the four packages while illegally entering Vietnam from Cambodia by border guards at border marker No. 170/3 in Loi Thuan commune, Ben Cau district, Tay Ninh province.

The drugs, according the prosecutor, had been tightly wrapped inside a number of nylon bags and then hidden within his backpack.

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