Nigerian pastor faces 10 years imprisonment in Zimbabwe for smuggling cocaine

A Nigerian pastor appeared in a Zimbabwean court in Victoria Falls, after he was found in possession of 2.33 kg of cocaine worth 126.7 million Zimbabwe dollars (about 188,000 U.S. dollars) stuffed in clothing items.

 

According to Zimbabwean laws, the 46-year-old, who has been identified as Desmond Onyii Onuoha, from Lagos, Nigeria, faces up to 10 years in jail if convicted of drug trafficking and possession charges.

 

The Independent reported on Tuesday that, Onuoha was arrested at the Victoria Falls International Airport on October 23 upon arriving from Brazil via Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia, after Zimbabwean police were tipped off that he could be in possession of dangerous drugs.

 

When questioned, Onuoha denied the charges, saying that he did not know the contents of the baggage, only that he had been asked by a congregant back in Nigeria to hand them over to a person in Victoria Falls.