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Zvikomborero Parafini
A KENYAN trio, which was busted at a lodge by police for selling prohibited plants in Harare, pleaded guilty to the offence yesterday.
Catherine Nyokabi Wambugu, Sarah Wangari Njoroge and Daniel Mwatha Ndonga initially appeared in court over the weekend charged with the importation of prohibited or restricted goods.
They will return to court today for sentencing.
The court heard that Louisa Makumbe, the Acting Head of Institute of the Plant Quarantine Services Institute, which is under Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development, received information from a reliable source that the three were smuggling prohibited and restricted nursery products into Zimbabwe.
On June 18, Makumbe was advised the trio had landed in Zimbabwe, were staying at a lodge in Hillside and were selling their products at Mwana Dream Park in Eastlea.
The police teamed up with Makumbe, Georgina Mwaramba and Shelter Kazangarare, who are Health Inspectors at the Plant Quarantine Services. Upon arriving at the office, the team noted the three were busy distributing plant seedlings to their customers.
The team introduced themselves and recovered three bags of various plant species.
The detectives asked the three to produce a permit, or any documents authorising them to deal in imported plant seedlings species, and the Kenyans produced expired documents, which were not consistent with their consignment.
It led to their arrest and the recovery of the smuggled plant seedlings.
Online Reporter