Aman charged with trafficking bhang worth over Sh30 million has been sentenced to life in prison. James Muthiora, alias Karinta, denied the charges when he appeared before Meru Senior Principal Magistrate Muraguri.
The consignment of Bhang was recovered by police officers on November 16, 2018, during a raid of Jesse Koome Kanake’s home in Kirwiro, Imenti North.
The case has been dragged in the courts for more than 3 years now, with residents describing Karinta as armed and dangerous, saying he had dug a hole at Kooje area where he has been hiding the bhang.
“The main suspect is a gun holder. He is a “government” by itself. Do you think he will be arraigned in court? I don’t believe it can happen, ” one resident said in 2018.
The accused together with his wife Fridah Karimi, Timothy Kinoti Kariaci, Joseph Ekeno Ekeno and Jacob Githae Mukunyu denied trafficking the bhang.
Karinta and his wife were sentenced to life in prison while the three co-accused were set free for lack of sufficient evidence.
In 2018, Karinta’s lawyer Kiogora Mugambi opposed plea taking and made an application to be granted seven days within which to prepare his client to take plea.
State Counsel Antony Musyoka submitted that the application was a disregard of a High Court order issued by Justice Francis Gikonyo and the defence’s attempt to advance the interests of the accused.
Even after today’s sentence, Karinta’s lawyer has vowed to appeal the decision at the High Court, insisting the lower court ignored key facts presented in Karinta’s defence.
Meru Daily News is your one-stop trusted source for the latest News updates from Meru County, Tharaka Nithi and the larger Mt. Kenya region. Follow our Social Media Pages for real-time News Bytes.