However, the presiding judge had earlier agreed with state prosecutors that the convict deserved a stiffer punishment.
A 35-year-old Nigerian, Chima Okoyi residing in Lilongwe, Malawi, has been fined K1.5 million (about N628,000 officially), or risk a 12-month jail term with hard labour over alleged possession of cocaine.
According to Lilongwe Police spokesperson Hastings Chigalu, the court considered that Okoyi was a first offender and that the quantity of cocaine was small.
However, the presiding judge had earlier agreed with state prosecutors that the convict deserved a stiffer punishment.
According to the prosecutors, drug-related cases are now rampant in Malawi, with Nigerians topping the list of offenders.
Nyasa Times reports that following a tip-off, the police arrested Okoyi at his residence in the country’s capital on August 27 and found drugs hidden under his bed.
“Lilongwe Police drug detectives, accompanied by Central West Region officers, invaded the said premises at around 15:00 hours,” Hastings Chigalu, Lilongwe police spokesperson, said after his arrest.
He said with the blessing of Lilongwe Magistrate Court that granted a search warrant, detectives thoroughly searched Okoyi's residence and found "the suspected cocaine hidden under his bed”.
The drugs were sent to the country’s pharmacy, medicines and regulatory authority for analysis and were later confirmed to be cocaine, the report revealed.