The Supreme Court of Seychelles has handed down a nine-year prison sentence to Francis Williams, a 45-year-old man from Sierra Leone, for the importation of a controlled substance, according to a police statement released on Monday.
Williams was arrested at Seychelles International Airport on June 7, found in possession of 453.4 grammes of cocaine.
His sentence will not include remission due to the severity of the offence, although his time spent in remand will be deducted from the total sentence.
In a related case, Bashiru Chande, 31, from Malawi, received an identical nine-year sentence for attempting to smuggle 4,953.2 grammes of heroin into the country on March 31. Chande was apprehended upon arrival on an Air Seychelles flight.
The presiding judge decreed that Chande’s remand time would also be subtracted from his sentence, with no remission granted due to the grave nature of the crime.
The sentencing underscores Seychelles’ stringent stance on drug importation offenses, reflecting the judiciary’s commitment to combating drug trafficking in the archipelago.
