Nyanga dagga dealers jailed

Senior Reporter
TWO Nyanga dagga dealers were sentenced to a combined nine years behind bars after they were found guilty of cultivating the illegal substance as well as peddling it.

The duo appeared separately before Mr Ignatio Mhene while Mr Kelvin Mufute prosecuted.

Masimba Matongo (54) of Nyamugafata Village under Chief Saunyama was slapped with a 36-month jail term for cultivating dagga in his fields.

He was charged for contravening Section 156 (1) (b) of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act Chapter 09:23 which criminalises the cultivation of dagga.

Mr Mufute told the court that on March 30 this year detectives received a tip off to the effect that the accused person was cultivating dagga.

“On that day at around 2pm Detective Constable Paraffin discovered two plants of dagga. A rigorous search was done in the field and more plants were recovered totaling 40 with an average height of two metres. The suspect admitted that he was the owner of the garden and the dagga plants,” he said.

He was subsequently arrested the plants were uprooted. The plants were produced in court as exhibits.

However, Mr Mhene set aside 12 months of the sentence on condition that he does not commit a similar offence in the next three years.

Learnmore Nyamupinga (36) of Chikara Village under Chief Marange was jailed six years after he was found in possession of 20kg of dagga.

Allegations were that on September 19 last year detectives in Nyanga received a tip off that there was a monarch bag containing dagga which was on a bus coming from Nyanga destined for Mutare.

“Detectives working in concert with the bus crew hatched a plan to stop the bus near Nyanga National Parks and advise the passengers that it had developed a mechanical fault. Upon reaching Nyanga National Parks the bus crew advised passengers that the bus had developed a problem and hence they should find alternative transport to Mutare.

“All the passengers including the accused person alighted from the bus holding their luggage. Immediately, a commuter omnibus in which the detectives were on board arrived pretending to be destined for Mutare. The suspect approached the said omnibus holding the monarch bag and a sack. He was asked his luggage by detectives who discovered dagga,” said Mr Mufute.

Of the six years, Mr Mhene set aside two years on condition of good behaviour.