A 23-year-old sales employee was arrested on 23 November 2022 near a lycée in the Accart-ville area of Bobo-Dioulasso, according to Sidwaya. He had a bag of 10 balls of cannabis, which he valued at 5,000 F CFA. He was first charged with illicit sale.
He first said the drugs were for sale, then told the court they were for his own use and that he did not know it was illegal. The prosecutor asked for five years firm and a one-million F CFA fine. On 6 January 2023 the court reduced the charge to consumption and gave him 24 months in prison, 12 firm and 12 suspended, plus a suspended one-million F CFA fine.
Why it matters: A year of firm prison time for ten small balls worth about eight US dollars is the clearest example of an outsized sentence in this batch.
Source: Sidwaya, 2023-01-11 (translated from fr). Forgotten Prisoner's account is based on this reporting.