Online Reporter
Lynnet Khaka
The Bulawayo High Court has sentenced a Tanzanian Sleiman Armour (44) to 15 years imprisonment for unlawful possession of a synthetic drug methamphetamine after he was arrested at a police checkpoint last month.
The incident occurred on October 23, 2025, when police officers manning a checkpoint at the 18km peg along the Bulawayo-Plumtree Road stopped a South African-registered Man truck en route to Plumtree.
According to the National Prosecuting Authority of Zimbabwe, the driver, who was also a Tanzanian national, failed to produce a temporary import permit for the vehicle. This discrepancy prompted officers to conduct a thorough search of the vehicle.
Armour, who was a passenger in the truck, initially led officers to the loading box, where foil-wrapped lunch boxes were found among bags of beans.
In an apparent attempt to allay suspicion, he opened one of the boxes and began eating spaghetti.
However, a more intensive search revealed a specially designed hidden compartment on the truck’s roof.
Inside, police discovered a significant quantity of methamphetamine concealed within similar boxes.
The driver and another passenger fled the scene during the search and are still at large.
Armour was arrested on the spot and the vehicle was seized and subsequently forfeited to the State.
“Drug abuse and drug trafficking are destroying lives and communities across Zimbabwe,” the NPA said in statement.
“Cases like this highlight the serious consequences of choosing the drug trade over honest living.”
