Tanzanian found with nearly US$1m crystal meth

Faith Ndlovu, Sunday News Reporter

A Tanzanian was arrested at a roadblock along the Bulawayo-Plumtree Highway when police officers found a staggering quantity of crystal methamphetamine with a street value of nearly US$1 million concealed within a shipment of beans.

The man, Sleiman Amour (44), a crew member of a cross-border truck appeared at the Western Commonage Magistrate’s Court, where magistrate Mr Vakai Douglas Chikwekwe charged him with possession of specially restricted substances, as outlined in Section 67(1)(a) of the Medicines and Allied Substances Control General Regulations.

Due to a language barrier, proceedings could not commence as scheduled prompting the magistrate to postpone the case to 8 November with Amour remanded in custody.

Prosecutor, Mr Milton Moyo told the court that Amour had entered Zimbabwe from Mozambique via the Nyamapanda Border Post as reflected in his passport.

Evidence presented in court indicated Amour’s involvement in the crime.

The State told the court that it was during police inspections at the Plumtree roadblock, that Amour was asked to open the locked truck trailer where a lunchbox on the trailer floor containing a white substance later identified as crystal meth was found.

It was after a further search that police discovered an additional 168 lunchboxes concealed in a secret compartment.

Preliminary tests confirmed that the recovered samples tested positive for methamphetamine, with a total weight of 192 kilogrammes and an estimated street value of US$987 000.