Mozambique: American jailed for drug trafficking – AIM report

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Mozambique: American jailed for drug trafficking – AIM report

6:14 CAT | 20 Feb 2020

Photo: Miramar

The Maputo City Court on Thursday sentenced a 66 year old United States citizen, Rodney Willord Baldus, to 18 years imprisonment for possession and trafficking in illegal drugs.

The judge added that, after he has served his sentence, Baldus will be deported to the United States.

Baldus was arrested on 26 July last year at Maputo International Airport by members of the National Immigration Service as he was waiting to board a plane to South Africa. A search of his luggage revealed that 4.6 kilos of the drug, believed to be heroin, was contained in ampules, hidden in packets of biscuits

Later laboratory analysis showed that the ampules contained a “psychotropic substance” in powdered form “with characteristics similar to heroin”.

Also Read : Mozambique: 85-year-old American sentenced to 16 years for drug trafficking – Carta

The defence lawyer, Hilario Adelino, protested that the sentence was far too severe, and announced his intention to appeal to a higher court, to secure a reduction in sentence.

At the time of his arrest, it was reported that Baldus had Italy as his final destination. The previous day a Canadian citizen was detained at the airport in possession of 4.4 kilos of heroin, and he was also heading for Italy.

It is likely that the drugs carried by the two men were part of the same consignment. The street value of nine kilos of heroin in Italy would be about 270,000 US dollars.

It is not clear how the heroin reached Mozambique, but the arrests showed once again how Mozambique is being used as a corridor in the international trade in illicit drugs.

Source: AIM