Online Reporter
Yeukai Karengezeka
Court Correspondent
A mbanje dealer in Harare’s upmarket Borrowdale suburb has been jailed for an effective seven months after being caught with 772g of the drug in a police trap.
Andrew Major (35) was convicted by Harare magistrate Ms Ruth Moyo on two charges: unlawful possession of two bottles of BronCleer and unlawful possession of dangerous drugs.
On the first and far less serious charge, involving the possession of the illegal medicine, Major was fined US$50 (or one month).
But he will serve time in jail for the large quantity of mbanje he possessed and was selling.
He was sentenced to 12 months in prison, with five months suspended on condition of future good behaviour, that is staying out of the drug business when he comes out of prison, leaving him to serve an effective seven months.
The case was prosecuted by Ms Nomsa Kangara.
On Friday last week three members of the Harare Suburban crack team Constables Kasengezi, Danda, and Kapita – received reliable information that Major was dealing in mbanje at 829 Jacana Drive, Borrowdale, Harare.
On arriving at the address, one of the officers disguised himself as a buyer. At the gate, the undercover officer successfully bought one sachet of mbanje from Major for US$1.
With that deal blowing open, the three officers identified themselves and searched Major.
They discovered 10 small sachets of mbanje in his grey handbag.
A further search of his room uncovered 13 large sachets and one quarter sachet of mbanje, for a total haul of 0,772kg.
Additionally, two 100ml bottles of BronCleer, a cough syrup often abused as a recreational drug, were found in his possession.
The recovered mbanje and BronCleer were forfeited to the State.
