THE 37-year-old man who was last month arrested for trafficking in 962.2kilogrammes loaded on a truck belonging to Lumezi Council has been jailed four years after he admitted trafficking in the psychotropic substance.
Last month, Drug Enforcement Commission (DEC) officers intercepted and seized a light truck carrying bags of suspected marijuana in Lusaka’s Northmead area.
The truck, Registration Number GRZ 547 CX, was from the East and was destined for Chibolya Township, Lusaka.
The commission revealed that investigations showed that the drugs were smuggled from a named neighbouring country through LUMEZI district in Eastern Province.
Two suspects, Kingsley Mwaba, 37, unemployed, and Maybin Sakala, 32, a driver of the truck, were arrested in connection with the trafficking of the drug consignment.
When they appeared before Lusaka chief resident magistrate Davies Chibwili, Mwaba admitted the charge but the other accused pleaded innocence.
Facts are that on June 16 this year, police received a tip that a light truck coming from the East heading to Lusaka was suspected to be carrying suspected marijuana.
Police quickly launched investigations which led to the interception of the light truck around Northmead area in Lusaka.
A search found 11 polythene bags with suspected cannabis loaded on the truck whose occupants were apprehended before the van was also impounded.
Later, DEC officers interrogated Mwaba on who the owners of the consignment where and the suspect told them it was his.
The suspected drugs were subjected to a test and a public analyst confirmed the same to be marijuana weighing 962.2kg of marijuana
After being convicted, Mwaba pleaded with the magistrate to be lenient because his wife and children will suffer if he is sent back to jail where he had been since his arrest last month.
“The diet [in prison] is not okay, sleeping is not okay and i will never commit an offence. I am asking for forgiveness. I have four children and i do not know how they will survive,” the convict pleaded.
But the magistrate said while he deserved lenience as a first offender, he needed to be punished because he wanted to use the consignment for commercial purpose.
“This offense is very serious,” Mr Chibwili said.
(Mwebantu, Tuesday, 25th July, 2023)