Two caged for nine years as Government war on drugs rages on

Thupeyo Muleya, Beitbridge Bureau

TWO drug dealers were on Wednesday morning jailed for an effective nine years by the Beitbridge Regional Court after they were found with nearly 7kg of mbanje they intended to Mount Darwin.

The dagga had been smuggled from South Africa.

George Chiwara (46) of Gokwe and Wilfred Moyo (33) of Beitbridge were intercepted by authorities on February 11 this year during a national anti-smuggling operation along the Beitbridge to Masvingo road.

The two who were jointly charged for dealing in dangerous drugs were left with nine years effective in jail when the presiding magistrate Ms Charity Maphosa set aside six years of their 15-year imprisonment term for five years.

The mbanje was forfeited to the State as part of the sentence.

Charges as presented by Miss Tsitsi Mtukwa are that on February 11 this year at around 9 am , a team of police carrying out a national anti-smuggling operation arrived at the Masvingo turn-off a few kilometres from Beitbridge border post.

They came across a blue Honda Fit that was parked at a hiking spot being driven by Moyo, while Chiwara was flagging for lifts heading to Mt Darwin.

The police officers requested to search the vehicle resulting in the discovery of a black bag on the passenger seat where Chiwara had been seated.

After which the bag was also searched and three cobs of mbanje wrapped in plastics were recovered resulting in the accused persons’ arrest.

The dagga was then processed in the presence of Chiwara and Moyo and it weighed 6, 965 kilograms worth US$696.50.