Online Reporter
Danisa Masuku Danimasuku4455gmail.com
THE High Court has dismissed a woman’s application for bail pending appeal after she was convicted and sentenced to an effective three years in prison for possession of dagga and cocaine with a combined street value of ZiG405 000.
Lakin Lee Robinson of Bulawayo’s West Somerton suburb appeared before High Court Judge, Justice Mpokiseng Dube for a bail pending appeal hearing.
The State, represented by chief public prosecutor Mr Kudakwashe Jaravaza, submitted that the court managed to prove its case beyond reasonable doubt during trial.
“The applicant and her husband were arrested after they were found in possession of 9kgs of dagga and five grammes of cocaine in their car. Detectives from drugs and narcotics also found 41 sachets of dagga and the applicant was in the company of her husband who was selling drugs,” argued Mr Jaravaza.
He further said the applicant told the court that she was not at home but in her statement she gave to the police she never stated that.
At the close of the hearing, Justice Dube dismissed the bail pending appeal, stating that the State managed to prove its case beyond reasonable doubt.
The State case is that detectives received a tip-off on 18 July at around 10PM that the couple was distributing cocaine and dagga in and around the city centre using a white vehicle, registration number AFI 604.
Acting on the information, detectives mounted surveillance in the CBD and identified the vehicle the couple was using.
According to the State police approached the vehicle, identified themselves and conducted a search, recovering four sachets of cocaine weighing five grammes, 10 sachets of dagga, 10 sachets of cannabis gummies and three sachets of cannabis-laced sweets, hidden in various compartments.
The court further heard that following their arrest, detectives conducted a further search at the couple’s residence, where they recovered a larger cache of drugs.
These included 41 sachets of dagga weighing 4,1 kilogrammes, five sachets of prepared dagga cigarettes, two 20-litre buckets filled with loose dagga, as well as additional cannabis gummies and sweets. In total, police seized about nine kilogrammes of dagga and 3,6 grammes of cocaine.
The dagga’s estimated street value is about ZWG240 000, while the cocaine’s street value is about ZWG165 400.
The also packaged the drugs into edible forms, including confectionery laced with cannabis.
