A Lamu court has sentenced a man convicted of trafficking cannabis and diazepam to either pay a Sh50 million fine or serve 10 years in prison after finding that the drugs and items recovered from him were intended for distribution rather than personal use.
Resident Magistrate Flavian Mulama found Abdulrahman Issa guilty after ruling that the prosecution had proved beyond reasonable doubt that he was storing narcotic drugs and materials linked to the preparation and sale of the substances.
The court convicted Issa of trafficking narcotic drugs by storing them, contrary to the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (Control) Act. The offence was committed jointly with other suspects who were not before the court on March 12, 2026, at Tchundwa Village in Lamu East Sub-county, Lamu County.
During the trial, the court heard that police officers on patrol intercepted Issa while he was carrying an orange bag. After searching it, officers recovered 250 grams of cannabis sativa, 10 diazepam tablets, a roll of partially smoked bhang, a razor blade, a metallic spoon, a transparent side plate, a broken tile and a matchbox.
Issa denied the charges during his defence, telling the court that the narcotics were recovered from his father's house after police arrested him together with two other men. However, he did not call either of the two men to support his account.
In his judgment, Magistrate Mulama said the prosecution had presented consistent, credible and corroborated evidence through three witnesses, leaving no doubt that the accused committed the offence.
“The prosecution's evidence outweighs that of the defence,” the magistrate ruled, adding that the charge had been proved to the required legal standard.
The court further found that the items recovered together with the drugs showed they were meant for trafficking and not personal consumption. The magistrate said the razor blade, metallic spoon, transparent side plate and partially smoked bhang were consistent with the preparation and repackaging of narcotics for distribution.
The judgment also relied on a Government Chemist's report, which confirmed that the recovered substances were cannabis and diazepam, both classified as narcotic drugs under the law. The defence did not challenge the findings contained in the report.
Following the conviction under Section 215 of the Criminal Procedure Code, the court sentenced Issa to pay a Sh50 million fine or serve a 10-year prison term.
The court also informed him that he has the right to appeal both the conviction and the sentence within 14 days.