™ͳǤ‘ †‡ƒ‰‰ƒ„ƒ„–‡„†‘™”†‹‡–Š”
MBABANE - Two men have been arrested for the illegal possession of 23 bags of dagga weighing 324.1kg, at the Ngwenya Border Gate.
The street value of the dagga is estimated around E1.6 million, depending on the grade.
Veli Nkosingphile Makhanya (35) of Mahlabaneni and Majaha Nicholas Simelane (27) of Elangeni, made their appearance at the Mbabane Magistrates Court yesterday.
Evidence presented before court pointed out that the dagga bags were loaded in the trailer of a foreign-registered truck, written Feed Master.
Makhanya pleaded not guilty, while his co-accused admitted to having been found in possession of the illegal herb.
Mncedisi Sibandze abandoned prosecution on Makhanya, resulting in the court acquitting and discharging him.
Evidence
Dlamini then paraded a police officer, who narrated the events leading to the arrest of the duo. In his evidence, Constable Sandziso Maseko informed the court that he and his colleagues made the discovery during random patrols around Ngwenya.
He stated that they were attracted by a strong smell of dagga as they passed by the trucks parked near the border gate.
“We proceeded to a truck with an inscription ‘Feed Master’ with foreign registration. I knocked on the window and I was attended to by a man, who introduced himself as Jabulani. I then requested to search the truck. I discovered bags of animal feed and the 23 dagga bags in the trailer. We then took the dagga bags to Eswatini Posts and Telecommunications, where they weighed 324.1kg,” he told the court.
The Crown then handed in a forensic report, which pointed out that the consignment found in the truck was dagga.
Consignment
The Crown also implored the court to consider the quantity of the consignment, which created the impression that it was intended for commercial purpose.
Through his lawyer, Sabelo Chicken Dlamini, Simelane pleaded for the court’s leniency.
The lawyer implored the court to consider imposing a sentence that would serve as correction as opposed to a punishment.
The defence counsel further implored the court to consider suspending part of the sentence. He submitted that his client offered E5 000 fine.
“This is a huge consignment, so the court needs to exercise justice without being seen as messing up the matter,” said Magistrate Innocent Motsa, before standing the matter down. Simelane was later sentenced to seven years imprisonment with an option to pay a fine of E10 000.
Meanwhile, in the same court, Saneliso Silindza was sentenced to three years imprisonment with an option to pay a fine of E3 000 for illegal possession of dagga weighing 9kg while at Hawane.