Tendai
Mbede
CHIREDZI– A police officer stationed at Ndali
police station was last week slapped with a five year jail sentence after being
found in possession of 190 kilogrammes of mbanje/dagga which he, together with
a female accomplice, was selling.
Sergeant Luckson Munhukwaye (43) and Phyllis
Mufandaedza (36) were arraigned before Chiredzi Regional Magistrate Judith Zuyu
facing charges of unlawful possession of dangerous drugs under Section 157 (a)
of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act.
The state represented by Moreblessing
Rusere stated that Sergeant Munhukwaye together with Mufandaedza were found in
possession of 80 packs of loose dagga weighing 190 kilogrammes on February 1 this
year after his boss, Assistant Inspector Etwell Ngara, received a tip-off that
the two were selling mbanje using Mufandaedza’s house at Masekekesa Business
Centre as the base of operation.
According to state papers, a police
search party found a plastic of dagga on top of the wardrobe before
interrogating one Cynthia Mhuriro, who was found at the house.
Mhuriro provided information that the
dagga in question belonged to Mufandaedza who had been taken by men driving a
black Toyota Hilux GD-6 Revo after they had identified themselves as
detectives.
Ngara and his team left the house in
search of the vehicle and along the way passed a Toyota Noah Voxy heading to
Rupangwana Business Centre and was being driven by Munhukwaye with Mufandaedza
on the passenger seat.
Upon suspicion, they made a U-Turn and
a hot pursuit started resulting in the arrest of Munhukwaye and Mufandaedza.
Ngara and his team searched the car and
recovered a bag full of mbanje which Mufandaedza and Munhukwaye disowned.
Munhukwaye was being represented by
Primrose Magaisa of the Pundu and Gurajena Law Chambers.
In his defense, Magaisa said Munhukwaye
didn’t know dagga despite serving in the police force for almost 18 years and
believed he was carrying a bale of second hand clothes.
Magistrate Zuyu said she was not
impressed by the defense of Munhukwaye and that the evidence before her was
enough for a conviction.
“I am not impressed by his defense. The
evidence before me is enough because the way the dagga was packed shows that it
was for commercial purposes.
“Dagga attracts a lot of money in the
market but has negative effects and him being a police officer of 18 years of
service should have known better,” said Magistrate Zuyu
