Kenya Airways staff jailed for 25 years for trafficking heroin
The Magistrate further said the three showed disregard for the severe reputational damage their actions could inflict on Kenya Airways and the Kenya Airports Authority.
Three Kenya Airways employees will spend 25 years in prison each for trafficking heroin valued at more than Sh60 million.
The three are Lennox Chengek Chestit (34), a cabin crew member; Kenneth Sinzore Isundu(53), a ground staffer; and Alfric Odhiambo Otieno (35), also a cabin crew member.
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In addition to the custodial sentence, Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) Court's
Senior Principal Magistrate Njeri Thuku ordered each to pay fines ranging between Sh88 million and Sh90 million.
Failure to which, they will serve an additional one-year sentence, to run concurrently.
"The convictions stem from two counts of trafficking in narcotic drugs. In the first count, Chestit and Isundu were found guilty of trafficking 9,845.70 grams of heroin valued at sh 29,537,100. In the second count, Otieno and Isundu were convicted of trafficking 20 kilograms of heroin worth sh 60 million," the Directorate of Public Prosecutions said on Saturday.
The Magistrate dismissed a request by the three for non-custodial sentences on the grounds that the court is bound by the Community Service Orders Act.
"Drug trafficking offences do not fit the parameters for non-custodial sentencing," she ruled.
She further said the three showed disregard for the severe reputational damage their actions could inflict on Kenya Airways and the Kenya Airports Authority.
"To see employees of Kenya Airways themselves involved in drug trafficking is more damaging than any of them possibly imagined," the magistrate observed.
Director of Public Prosecutions, Renson Ingonga, lauded the judgment delivered after eight years of a protracted legal battle as a strong affirmation of his office's unwavering commitment to dismantling drug trafficking networks, including those operating within critical national institutions.
"This verdict sends a clear message that no individual or institution is beyond the reach of the law. The ODPP will continue to work tirelessly to protect Kenya's borders, safeguard public institutions, and ensure that those who undermine national security face the full force of justice," he said.
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