adminSukulwenkosi Dube Plumtree Correspondent
A drug peddler from Mangwe district will spend the next 15 months in prison after he was caught in possession of dagga with an estimated street value of R4, 000.
Darlington Matanga, 40, bought the dagga, which weighed 2, 1 kilogrammes in Gokwe and was arrested on Tuesday last week on his way to sell it to villagers and miners in Mangwe.
Matanga had a previous conviction of unlawful possession of dangerous drugs that saw him being jailed for nine months last year.
Three months that were suspended in that previous conviction were added to the latest jail term by Plumtree magistrate, Gideon Ruvetsa.
“It appears you’ve made it a habit to sell this illegal substance for a living. For this offence I sentence you to 12 months imprisonment. In addition I’ll bring into effect three months which were suspended on 30 October 2014,” said the magistrate. “This means that you’ll serve an effective 15 months and the dagga which was recovered will be destroyed.”
In mitigation, Matanga said he was selling the dagga to make a living.
Prosecuting, Clemence Shawarira said Matanga, who resides at Ingwizi Irrigation Scheme in Mangwe, was arrested while transporting the dagga on July 7. “Detectives who were on patrol in Mphoengs area received information that Matanga who was in possession of dagga had boarded a Musawenkosi Bus travelling from Bulawayo to Ingwizi Growth Point. They then waited for the bus and boarded it along the way and were alerted that the dagga was hidden in a blue and black bag,” said Shawarira.
He said when Matanga disembarked from the bus, the police officers pounced on him and searched his bag.
Online Reporter