Guinean diplomat sentenced over 512.9kg of tobacco in Ceuta
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Bladi
A Guinean diplomat assigned to his country’s embassy in Rabat has been given a one-year suspended prison sentence in Ceuta, Spain, after 512.9 kilograms of shisha tobacco was found in a diplomatic Mercedes. He admitted the offences under an agreement with prosecutors, according to El Pueblo de Ceuta.
The Ceuta court sentenced K. S., a Guinean diplomat assigned to Guinea’s embassy in Rabat, to one year in prison on 29 October for smuggling 512.9 kg of shisha tobacco, according to Bladi. The sentence was suspended for two years after the accused admitted the facts as part of an agreement with the Spanish public prosecutor’s office.
The seizure took place on 25 June at the Tarajal border crossing, as the diplomat was leaving Ceuta for Morocco in a Mercedes bearing South African diplomatic number plates. The Guardia Civil and Spanish customs officers found 851 packets of Al Fakher tobacco, as well as perfumes and other goods, in the vehicle, El Pueblo de Ceuta reports.
The agreement between the defence and the public prosecutor’s office allowed the court to rule without hearing witnesses. The absence of a criminal record justified suspending the sentence: K. S. must avoid any further offence for two years to avoid imprisonment. The sentence also includes a fine and a tax debt related to the seized goods; failure to pay the fine may result in an additional three days in detention.
