Online Reporter
Dalyn Chigwizura, [email protected]
A 55-year-old Bulawayo man has been sentenced to six years in prison for dealing in dangerous drugs after 76 packets of loose dagga, weighing 37 kilogrammes and with a street value of about ZWG 1,1 million were found in his spare bedroom.
At the beginning of the State case, the accused — Lucias Moyo (55) of Randeni Road, Rangemore and Musawenkosi Donga (30) of Nketa 9 — appeared before Western Commonage regional magistrate, Mr Pasipanodya Maturure, facing a charge of unlawful dealing in dangerous drugs.
During the course of the trial, Donga, was found not guilty and acquitted.
Moyo, who pleaded not guilty to the offence, was sentenced to nine years in prison, of which three years were suspended for five years on condition that within that period he does not commit a similar offence.
In his defence, the accused denied the charges, saying he did not know that there were two “tshangani bags” full of dagga in his house, as his wife had received the two bags in his absence while he had travelled to the village for a funeral.
He further stated that his wife informed him that while he was away, accused number two’s mother had brought the two bags for safekeeping.
Both he and his wife did not check the bags but only discovered what was inside on the day he was arrested, he claimed.
In passing sentence, Mr Maturure said the accused person and his wife could not agree on certain issues, as their evidence differed. The accused person’s attempt to distance himself from the dagga was in vain.
He possessed the dagga for his own commercial purposes and deserved a custodial sentence since the recovered dagga was in large quantities, said Mr Maturure.
The State, represented by Ms Christina Manyika, said that on December 15 at around 4pm, detectives from CID Drugs and Narcotics, Bulawayo, received information that Donga had received contraband, which he had taken for safekeeping at Moyo’s place of residence.
The detectives acted upon the information and proceeded to Moyo’s residence, said Ms Manyika.
The court heard that upon arrival, a search was conducted leading to the recovery of 76 packets of loose dagga in a spare bedroom.
Further investigations were conducted, linking Donga to the commission of the offence and leading to his arrest, said Ms Manyika.
On December 16, the recovered dagga was weighed in the presence of the two accused persons. It weighed 37 kilogrammes and had a street value of about ZWG 1,1 million, added Ms Manyika.
