A VICTORIA Falls woman from whose house police recovered 481kg of mbanje with a street value of more than $48 million has appeared in court charged with unlawful possession of dagga.
Patricia Ncube (49) of Mkhosana suburb was arrested after
police raided the house and recovered 14 x 50kg bags of mbanje which were
hidden in the bedroom. There were also twists of mbanje that were found hidden
in a container in the same house.
Ncube is suspected to have smuggled the dagga into the
country through an undesignated entry point along Zambezi River in the gorges
in Chisuma.
The area, especially Gorge Number 23, is notorious for the
smuggling of goods including cement, groceries and agricultural inputs between
Zambia and Zimbabwe. Ncube was not asked to plead when she appeared before
Victoria Falls magistrate Ms Linda Dzvene.
Her lawyer Mr Njabulo Ndlovu indicated that he will apply
for bail this week and the magistrate remanded her in custody to May 11.
Prosecuting, Miss Audrey Mukanganya said police raided the
house after getting a tip-off that Ncube was in possession of dagga at her
house.
“On the 28th day of April at around 10AM police detectives
received information to the effect that the accused was in possession of dagga
at her place of residence. Detectives and canine section officers teamed up and
proceeded to the accused person’s house,” said Miss Mukanganya.
She said the team surrounded the house and the accused came
out of the bedroom. Police introduced themselves to her and asked to search the
house whereupon they recovered mbanje packed in sacks and plastic bags. Twists
of mbanje were also found in the house in a container.
The mbanje weighed 481kg with a street value of $48,1
million. Chronicle
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