Police arrest MDF soldier over Indian hemp

Police in Nkhotakota on Monday arrested a Malawi Defence Force (MDF) soldier for allegedly being found in possession of Indian hemp (chamba).

Nkhotakota Police Station spokesperson Williams Kaponda, in a statement made available to The Nation, identified the MDF soldier as Andrew Matochi, 34, based at Kamuzu Barracks in Lilongwe.

Said Kaponda: “He was travelling from Dwangwa [in Nkhotakota North] to Lilongwe in a Daihatsu Mira saloon vehicle registration IT 6496. When he reached Kaombe Roadblock, police searched his vehicle where they discovered the Indian hemp packed in two MDF-branded travelling bags. The soldier was then arrested.”

Matochi, who comes from Tito Village, Traditional Authority (T/A) Kanyenda in Nkhotakota, will appear before court to answer the offence of being found in possession of cannabis sativa without licence contrary to sections 4 (a) of the Dangerous Drug Regulation and 19 (1) of the Dangerous Drug Act.

In December last year, two other MDF soldiers were also arrested at the same police checkpoint for a similar offence, according to Kaponda. n