Online Reporter
Yeukai Karengezeka
Court Correspondent
The trial of two British nationals arrested at Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport last month for possessing 124 packs of dagga with an estimated street value of US$669 000 failed to commence yesterday.
The delay was caused by the defendants changing their legal representation and requesting access to CCTV footage recorded at the airport on the day of their arrest.
The accused, Tihaise Darlin Elisha (18) and Taylor Tamara Simone (20), both from Birmingham, United Kingdom, face charges of unlawful possession of dangerous drugs.
The matter is being heard before Harare regional magistrate Donald Ndirowei.
According to the State’s case, on May 1 at around 1 pm, detectives from the CID Drugs and Narcotics Unit at Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport received a tip-off about foreign nationals suspected of smuggling drugs into Zimbabwe aboard Ethiopian Airways Flight 873.
When the plane landed, the detectives identified the two suspects as they retrieved four suitcases from the luggage carousel in the arrivals terminal.
The suspects were escorted to the airport’s search bay, where their luggage was thoroughly examined.
The search uncovered 124 packs of dagga weighing approximately 66,9 kilogrammes, concealed inside all four suitcases.
The seized drugs were valued at US$669,000 on the street.
The suspects were issued a ZIMRA exhibit seizure confirmation receipt before being taken into custody.
