Drug couriers jailed for 22 years and fined €70,000

A Nigerian and a Gambian were yesterday jailed for a total of 22 years and fined €70,000 after they pleaded guilty to trafficking in drugs.

Joseph Feilazoo, 32, from Nigeria had been caught at the airport after arriving on a ClickAir flight from Spain carrying 65 capsules containing 912 grammes of cocaine, 25 grammes of heroin and almost six grammes of cannabis August 2008. The capsules were hidden in his stomach and rectum.

He was stopped and had his luggage searched as he was about to leave the lounge through the Green Channel. Although nothing was found in his luggage, suspicious Customs officers carried out a body search, which indicated he could be carrying something in his stomach.

The suspect was accompanied to Mater Dei Hospital where an X-ray showed up a number of capsules in his stomach.

Before jailing him, Chief Justice Vincent De Gaetano said he took into consideration the fact that the accused had filed an early guilty plea. However, he knew exactly what he was doing when he imported the drugs.

Mr Feilazoo was jailed for 12 years and fined €50,000 for conspiring to import, importing and trafficking in the drugs.

In a different case, 25-year-old Yahye Ceesay pleaded guilty to importing 227 grammes of cocaine hidden in his stomach and rectum in August two years ago.

The Chief Justice, again noting that the man was fully aware of what he was doing when he imported the drugs, jailed him for 10 years and fined him €20,000.

Lawyers Emmanuel Mallia and Arthur Azzopardi appeared for the two men.

Lawyer Aaron Bugeja from the Attorney General's Office prosecuted.