Chad army officers sentenced to prison for drug trafficking

Chadian army officers and intelligence officials were sentenced on Friday to up to 10 years in prison for drug trafficking, the state prosecutor and their lawyer told AFP.

In January, a vehicle carrying 246 cartons of the opiate painkiller Tramadol, with an estimated value of 12.3 billion CFA francs (18.8 million euros, $21 million), was seized on its way to neighbouring Libya, a judicial source said.

An army general, two colonels and a head of the National Security Agency were among 10 people sentenced in the capital N’Djamena.

“Of the 11 defendants, six were sentenced to 10 years in prison and four to five years in prison, and one was released,” prosecutor Youssouf Tom told AFP.

Those sentenced were also ordered to pay between $25,000 and $50,000, the prosecutor said.

“The judge followed the prosecutor’s demands to the letter and I immediately appealed,” Alain Kagonbe, one of the defendants’ lawyers, told AFP.

Chad’s 1,000-kilometre (620-mile) border with Libya is a lawless zone where criminal gangs, illegal gold miners and rebels operate, much of it beyond the control of the security forces.