Community service for medical drugs theft

Yeukai Karengezeka Court Correspondent

Two men in the gang that defrauded a supplier of Pain Eeze drugs worth US$3 000 have been sentenced to perform 210 hours of community service and will escape jail if they pay back their share of the stolen drugs.

The police made the initial arrest when the person they defrauded saw one of the gang members later at Rhodesville Police Station when they were both there on other cases and quickly raised alarm.

Daniel Austine (39) and Simbarashe Karinga were convicted after a full trial but their two accomplices, Nyasha Mutasa and Owen Pfandi, who were out on bail were issued warrant of arrests as they defaulted attending court.

Magistrate Mr Simon Kandiyero initially sentenced Austine and Karinga to 12 months jail. Three months were suspended on condition of good behaviour in future, another three months were suspended on condition that Austine pays back Elenera Chimoyo US$1 350 and Karinga pays back US$700 by the end of January next year. The remaining 6 months was suspended on condition that they complete 210 hours of community service.

Austin will serve at Churchill High School in Eastlea and Karinga at Rhodesville Police Station, the station that broke the case.

The prosecutor, Ms Faith Mavhudzi proved that on November 30 last year, at around 1pm at Electro Sales Hardware Msasa, the gang of four phoned Patience Hunyani, a friend of Ms Chimoyo, saying they had a client who wanted to buy Pain Eeze tablets. Ms Hunyani then referred the quartet to Ms Chimoyo since she was not able to supply the required order.

They phoned Ms Chimoyo who said she could supply and was asked to deliver the tablets to Electro Sales in Msasa. She hired a taxi and together with her friend Dorcas Shonhiwa  went to Electro Sales with the package of 70 by 120 boxes which they had bought at Mohamed Mussa for resale to the gang.

Upon arrival, Ms Chimoyo met Austine who was standing at the front entrance of Electro Sales Hardware and he told her to drive to the offloading bay at the back of the hardware. There Austin and the rest of the gang offloaded the boxes into their getaway car, a silver Mercedes Benz.

Afterwards, Austine got into a Honda Fit belonging to the now bail jumper Mutasa, who was behind the wheel, telling Ms Chimoyo he was going to collect the cash. The gang then drove away. The complainant and her friend tried to chase them but to no avail and the complainant proceeded to ZRP Rhodesville to file a complaint.

On January 4 this year, Austine was arrested and taken to ZRP Rhodesville over another offence. But, quite coincidentally, Ms Chimoyo was also at Rhodesville being interviewed regarding a report that she had filed.

She then saw Austine and identified him as the one who had defrauded him at Electro Sales Hardware. The total defrauded amount is US$3 000 and nothing was recovered.