10 years after being arrested, Zambian national gets imprisoned for 10 more

A special court in Mumbai sentenced Zambian national Ngona Joyce to 10 years for smuggling 14.9 kg of methaqualone at the airport.

MUMBAI: 10 years after a Zambian national was arrested from the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA), a special court on Thursday sentenced her to 10 years of imprisonment. The accused, Ngona Joyce, was arrested for allegedly being in possession of and attempting to smuggle 14.9 kg of methaqualone.

10 years after being arrested, Zambian national gets imprisoned for 10 more

On January 21, 2014, the Air Intelligence Unit (AIU) of the Customs were alerted by a sniffer dog and intercepted Joyce to check her baggage, where they found 47 zari lace rolls concealing packets full of white crystalline powder. The powder was later confirmed to be methaqualone, a psychotropic drug under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) act, with an illicit market value of more than ₹7 crore. In her statement, Joyce said her cousin in Delhi handed her the bag and instructed her to deliver it to a person in Botswana. She subsequently retracted her statement, alleging coercion and denial of due process.

The prosecution examined four witnesses, three Customs superintendent officers, and an airline supervisor.

The defence argued about minor discrepancies in the panchnama and pointed out a lack of CCTV footage. They submitted that the statement of the accused was recorded under duress. They sought acquittal on the grounds that procedural lapses and contradictions in witness testimonies undermine the prosecution’s case.

The special NDPS court observed that the depositions established Joyce was in possession of 14 kgs of methaqualone concealed in her checked-in baggage. Based on her travel itinerary and circumstantial evidence, it was evident she was smuggling the contraband. The court added that minor lapses in following the procedures under the NDPS Act do not affect the overall integrity of the evidence.

The defence sought a minimum sentence with a fine. Joyce told the court about her suffering from the day she was booked, how all her family members are staying in her native country and her children are in an orphanage. She urged for a lenient sentence.

Special judge BE Bangar said, “Her conscious possession and import of the controlled substance in violation of the provisions of the NDPS Act, 1985, do not permit any leniency in awarding sentence when found guilty.” The court said that there is no mitigating circumstance which could be considered for imposing minimum sentence.