Benin: police officer sentenced to 4 years in prison for trafficking in counterfeit medicines
A Republican Police officer, stationed at the Direction Générale de la Police Républicaine (DGPR), has been sentenced to four years’ imprisonment and a fine of five million FCFA by the Correctional Chamber of the Cour de Répression des Infractions Économiques et du Terrorisme (CRIET). He was charged with transporting counterfeit medicines in a service vehicle.
SUMMARY
The facts date back to May 2024. Returning from a mission in Porto-Novo, the policeman was stopped at the Ekpè toll booth after refusing to submit to a customs check.
His suspicious attitude led officers to search his vehicle, where they discovered several bags filled with counterfeit medicines destined for the black market.
A case handled by the CRIET
The case was quickly handed over to the CRIET, which launched an investigation. At his trial, the accused pleaded not guilty, claiming that he was unaware of the contents of the bags he was carrying and that they had been entrusted to him by an acquaintance. His lawyer emphasized the absence of direct evidence of criminal intent.
However, after several months of investigation, the CRIET found the charges sufficient to convict. The prosecution had requested five years’ imprisonment, including two years’ imprisonment, but the court finally imposed a heavier sentence: four years’ imprisonment and a fine of five million FCFA. In addition to the sentence, the court ordered the destruction of the seized products.
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