Matthias Ferdinand Yade sentenced to 25 years for heroin importation

Matthias Ferdinand Yade, an Ivorian national, has been sentenced to 25 years in prison and fined Rs 100,000 for importing 1,140.8 grams of heroin. The drugs were valued at approximately Rs 17.1 million.

The incident occurred on August 4, 2019, at Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam International Airport. Yade, a merchant by profession, was intercepted after swallowing 75 pellets containing heroin in Nairobi before transiting through Dubai. He eventually expelled the pellets under medical supervision at the airport.

Investigation revealed that Yade had accepted $5,000 USD to transport the narcotics and had reportedly undergone training with fake pellets prior to the trip. The court ordered that his nearly seven years of provisional detention be deducted from his total sentence.