A Cambodian appeals court on Tuesday upheld the prison terms of a Nigerian man, a Frenchwoman and an Australian woman for trying to smuggle heroin to Australia.
Judge Pol Sam Ouen said the sentences given by the Phnom Penh Municipal Court in May 2014 to then 23-year-old Nigerian Precious Chneme Nwoko, 19-year-old Charlene Savarino of France and 41-year-old Ann Yoshe Taylor of Australia were correct and accorded with the law.
The lower court had sentenced Nwoko to 27 years in prison, Savarino to 25 years and Taylor to 23 years.
Savarino and Taylor were arrested in September 2013 at Phnom Penh International Airport after police found 2.2 kilograms (4.8 pounds) of heroin in Taylor’s luggage as they prepared to fly together to Australia.
Nwoko, Savarino’s boyfriend, was believed to have masterminded the smuggling and asked Savarino to make the arrangements.
Cambodia is not a major producer of illegal drugs but has increasingly become a smuggling transit route.
Khieu Vann, the lawyer for Taylor, told reporters that the appeals court’s decision was an injustice and that he would consult with his client to see if she wished to appeal to the Supreme Court.
A 38-year-old Nigerian, Chijioke Stephen Obioha, was hanged in Singapore on November 18 for drug trafficking.
