Cocaine peddler jailed 3 years
The Lilongwe Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday sentenced 22-year-old Linda Chinula to three years imprisonment and two years IHL for being found in possession of dangerous drugs. The sentences will run concurrently.
According to police, Chinula was found in possession of cocaine on Saturday, November 26 upon arrival at the Kamuzu International Airport (KIA) where police found the dangerous drug weighing two kilogrammes concealed in one of her bags.
She was charged with illegal importation of dangerous drugs under Section 11 (a) as read with Regulation 19 of Dangerous Drugs Act. She pleaded guilty to the charge.
Assistant Commissioner of Police Napier Chafikana asked the court for an immediate custodial sentence although she was a first offender and had pleaded guilty.
In mitigation, Chinula asked for leniency, saying she has a three-year-old child, three orphans and a mother who depend on her.
But senior resident magistrate Shyreen Yona told Chinula she knew what she was doing was a serious offence.
She said the jail term “should serve as a warning to everyone involved in such shady businesses”.
Chinula comes from Lambalamba Village in Traditional Authority (T/A) Chindi in Mzimba.
She is a businessperson and operates from Mchesi Township in Lilongwe. n
