Namwala

A 28 year-old Itezhi Tezhi businessman has been convicted and sentenced to 18 months for trafficking in narcotic substances contrary to the Narcotics and psychotropic   substance Act section 6 CAP 96 of the laws of Zambia.

 

Appearing before Magistrate Mubita Munalula today was Mr. Hardley Loongo of Chief Musungwa in Itezhi Tezhi district but resides in Namwala district immediately pleaded guilty to committing the offence.

 

Facts before the court were that on January 18, 2008, Namwala police got a tip off from some members of the public that the accused who also owes a shop was trafficking in cannabis[marijuana] and was selling it to the public.

 

Pretending to be potential buyers, plainclothes police officers went to the accused 's shop where they asked for the sample of the   substance and the accused showed them  2 bolls of the substance which he was selling at K2,000 each boll.

 

Later police swung into action and entered the shop where they found the accused with 1kilogramme of cannabis and was arrested and charged with one count of trafficking in narcotic substances.

 

And meting out the sentence magistrate Munalula said the offence carries a maximum of five years imprisonment but exercised lenience because the accused did not waste the court's time in when he immediately admitted to the offence.

 

"I hope you realize that this kind of offence is a serious one and I could have sentenced you to two years but the court has taken lenience seeing that you have not wasted the court's time," said Magistrate Munalula.