Canadian Woman Sentenced to 11 Years in Prison for Importing Illicit Drugs

A 41-year-old Canadian national, Adrienne Munju, has been sentenced to 11 years in prison by a Federal High Court in Lagos for importing 74 parcels of Canadian Loud, a potent form of synthetic cannabis, into Nigeria. The illicit drug, weighing 35.20 kilograms, was intercepted by authorities earlier this month.

Munju was arrested by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) on October 3, 2024, at Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos. She was taken into custody during the routine clearance of passengers arriving on a KLM flight from Canada.

The court, presided over by Justice Dehinde Dipeolu, convicted Munju on a two-count charge related to drug trafficking. She pleaded guilty to both charges, resulting in her sentencing. Justice Dipeolu imposed a six-year sentence for the first count and five years for the second, with the sentences to run concurrently. However, the court also provided an option for Munju to pay a fine of N50 million per count, totaling N100 million, in lieu of serving the prison term.

During her arrest, Munju admitted to being recruited via an online platform to traffic the drugs for a payment of 10,000 Canadian dollars. She explained that financial difficulties, particularly her need to fund a master’s degree in Canada, drove her to accept the offer.