Online Reporter
Dalyn Chigwizura
SOME people keep extra pillows for comfort. Trevor Mpofu kept his for storage. And not for socks or secret love letters, but for a whole stash of dagga and cough syrup that could supply half the neighbourhood.
Mpofu (32) from Njube, left Western Commonage Court scratching its collective head after he admitted to possessing both prescription preparation medicines and dagga worth ZiG7 800. He pleaded guilty before magistrate Jeconia
Prince Ncube, who promptly handed him a fine of US$200 and a heavy dose of community service.
On the first count, Mpofu must pay US$200 before December 19 or spend six months in the cooler.
On the second, he was sentenced to 15 months in prison, but five months were suspended for five years. The remaining 10 months were swapped for 350 hours of community service at Western Commonage Court. He starts on Wednesday. No sick note was issued.
Prosecutor Tafara Dzimbanhete told the court that detectives received a tip-off on 21 November around 5AM.
Someone whispered that Mpofu had turned his bedroom into a mini-pharmacy and herb depot. Detectives didn’t waste time. By 5.30AM, they were knocking on his door.
Inside, they found him alone, probably still rubbing sleep from his eyes. After introducing themselves, the detectives searched the room. Under the bed, in a blue paper bag, they discovered 29 bottles of Broncleer and eight bottles of
Astra Pain cough syrup. Then came the shocker. Inside his pillowcase they found 83 sachets of loose dagga snug like feathery contraband.
Asked to produce licences for all these goodies, Mpofu had nothing. Not even a fake receipt.
The dagga was later weighed at Bulawayo Main Post Office in his presence and clocked in at 256 grammes. The medicines carried a street value of ZiG5 310 while the dagga was pegged at ZiG2 490.
Instead of dreaming on that pillow, Mpofu will now be sweeping, mopping and scrubbing at the court for the next 10 weeks.
