ANB Communiqué - Four men get prison terms for drug trafficking and importation |18 July 2018

Four male Seychellois citizens have been convicted on several counts of drug related offences in a drug case dating March 2016.

Francis Ernesta, a 64-year-old resident of Perseverance and Danny Sultan, a 45-year-old resident of Les Mamelles, both of whom played a major role in committing the offences in this case, were both sentenced to a term of 9 years imprisonment for each of the following offences:

-           Trafficking in a controlled drug (9 years);

-           Conspiracy to commit the offence of trafficking in a controlled drug (9 years);

-           Importation of a controlled drug (9 years);

-           Conspiracy to import a controlled drug (9 years).

Their terms of 9 years imprisonment on each count will run concurrently.

The other two offenders, Brian Mothé, a 47-year-old resident of St Louis and Kevin Quatre, a 31-year-old resident of La Louise, both of whom played a comparatively lesser role in committing the offences in this case, were both sentenced to a term of 4 years imprisonment on each of the following offences:

-           Trafficking in a controlled drug (4 years);

-           Conspiracy to commit the offence of trafficking in a controlled drug (4 years);

-           Importation of a controlled drug (4 years);

-           Conspiracy to import a controlled drug (4 years).

Similar to the two other accused, their terms of 4 years imprisonment on each count will run concurrently and the time spent in remand will count towards the sentences imposed on each of the four convicts.

They were sentenced in the Supreme Court by Judge Burhan on Friday July 13, 2018.

Officers of the Anti-Narcotics Bureau (formerly NDEA) arrested these four men during the month of March and June of 2016 after they were identified as suspects in the importation and trafficking in of 746.9 grammes of substance containing 477.66 grammes of pure heroin during the month of March that same year 2016.