Supreme Court hears appeal of Venezuelan woman in drug case

 

Buth Reaksmey Kongkea

The Supreme Court yesterday heard the appeal case of a Venezuelan woman who was sentenced in 2018 by Phnom Penh Municipal Court to 30 years in prison for smuggling about 1.5 kilogrammes of cocaine from Brazil to Cambodia in 2016.

Presiding Judge Soeung Panhavuth identified the accused as Adelys Paola Loupez Alviarez, 28, a Venezuelan tourist.

Judge Panhavuth said that the accused was sentenced on June 7, 2018 by the lower court to which included a fine of $10,000.

She was charged with “drug transport and trafficking” under Article 40 of the Law on Drug Control.

He said that the accused appealed the decision to Appeal Court which upheld her sentence on January 15. She continued her appeal to the Supreme Court.

Judge Panhavuth said Alviarez was arrested on September 12, 2016 by customs officers at the Phnom Penh International Airport who cooperated with the Interior Ministry’s anti-drug police.

He said that she had transported the drugs from Brazil to Ethiopia and then transferred in Thailand to her way to Cambodia. Police seized a total of 1449.43 grammes of cocaine.

During yesterday’s appeal hearing, Alviarez admitted committing the offense but she said that the drugs belonged to a Nigerian man named “William” who had been at large.

“I appealed it to Supreme Court because I wanted my sentence reduced so that I would be able to leave the prison and return back to be with my parents living in Venezuela,” she said.

Court prosecutor Pen Sarath said that according to Cambodian’s Criminal Code and Law on Drug Control, serious crimes such as drug trafficking is unforgivable.

A verdict is due on January 5.

 

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