The Bissau Regional Court (TRB) today sentenced the five Latin American citizens arrested last September in Bissau with more than 2.6 tons of drugs to 17 years in prison, says a ruling from that court.
The document to which Lusa had access was read today in the TRB courtroom, in the presence of the convicts, defense lawyers and members of the public who came to the scene to watch what was the trial of the biggest drug seizure in Guinea-Bissau .
The five convicts, in pre-trial detention since September 7, 2024, were accused of co-authoring the crime of "aggravated drug trafficking" and the crime of "illegal use of an aircraft", in which they transported the drug from Mexico to Bissau.
The Guinean Judicial Police, in collaboration with several international drug enforcement agencies, seized on September 7th a private jet at Osvaldo Vieira de Bissau international airport that contained more than 2.6 tons of cocaine on board.
During the trial, the five people who were on board the device told the court that the destination was Mali and that they only landed at Osvaldo Vieira due to fuel shortages.
"The collective court supports its conviction regarding the facts that it considered proven and not proven based on the critical and combined analysis of the suspects' statements", the ruling reads.
Among those convicted is a Brazilian citizen who, according to his lawyer, Alcides Martins, is "having serious heart problems" and needs to be transferred to his country.
The TRB acquitted the five convicts of committing the crime of "criminal association", as requested by the Public Prosecutor's Office, considering that it was not proven, at trial, that there was a "hierarchy or organizational structure" between the suspects.
The court also decided to confiscate the aircraft in favor of the Guinean State, a measure that had already been announced by the country's President, Umaro Sissoco Embaló.
The defense of the five convicts promises to react to the court's decision today.
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