Egyptian judge sentenced to life in prison for possessing hashish

An Egyptian court sentenced a judge to life in prison on Saturday on charges of possessing hashish, official news agency MENA reported.

But Tarek Mohamed Zaki, the former judge, was actually handed 25 years in prison as life sentence means 25 years in prison according to Egyptian law.

Zaki's driver and a woman were handed ten years in jail in the same case.

The case dates back to November 2016, when security forces seized 68 kilograms of hashish, with an estimated value of 92,410 U.S. dollars, in the judge's car.

Egypt's Justice Minister accepted Zaki's resignation following the incident.

Hashish has been illegal in Egypt since it signed the Geneva International Convention on Narcotic Control in 1925.

Egypt suffers a high rate of drug smuggling, abusing and addiction with about 10.4 percent of the population aged from 15 to 65 taking drugs, said Amr Osman, director of Egypt's Drug Control and Addiction Treatment Fund, in an interview with Xinhua.

Hashish, heroin, marijuana as well as painkillers like Tramadol and Tamol are the most prevalent drugs in Egypt, where an average of 200 drug-related cases are cracked every year. Endit