By Garikai Mafirakureva
CHIREDZI regional magistrate Judith Zuyu has sentenced Phyllis Mufandaedza (36) of Masekesa in the farming town to five years in prison after finding her guilty of drug peddling.
Mufandaedza’s Toyota Noah Voxy car, which was used during the commission of the crime, was forfeited to the State.
Mufandaedza pleaded guilty to possession of 80 packs of dagga weighing 190kg when she appeared in court on Tuesday this week.
Her accomplice, Luckson Munhukwaye (43), who is a police officer, was remanded to March 12, 2021 for sentencing after also pleading guilty.
Munhukwaye is a sergeant in the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) and stationed at Ndali.
Prosecutor Moreblessing Rusere told the court that on February 1, 2021 at around 3pm, Assistant Inspector Etwell Ngara received a tip-off that there was contraband of dagga at Mufandaedza’s house at Masekesa Business Centre.
On the same day at around 11pm, the police searched the house and recovered a packet of loose dagga which was on top of the wardrobe in one of the rooms.
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They interrogated Cynthia Mhuriro after finding her inside the house, and she implicated Mufandaedza.
She told the police that Mufandaedza had been taken by some men who identified themselves as detectives from Chiredzi, who were driving a Toyota Hilux GD-6 Revo, who then seized the recovered dagga.
The police left the house and on their way to Chiredzi to check for the said vehicle, they spotted a silver Toyota Noah Voxy along the Ngundu-Tanganda Highway which was being driven by Munhukwaye, with Mufandaedza on the passenger seat and some bags inside.
The police became suspicious and followed it, but Munhukwaye sped off after noticing that he was being followed, leading to a high-speed chase.
On approaching Ndali turn-off at Rupangwana, he turned into Ndali Road, drove for about 200 metres before making a U-turn and driving back to the Ngundu-Tanganda Highway with the police in hot pursuit.
He allegedly sped past a police roadblock, but was eventually cornered and arrested together with Mufandaedza.
Munhukwaye faces an additional charge of attempted murder after he nearly ran over one of the police officers.
