Two MDF soldiers, 3 women nabbed over hemp
Police in Nkhotakota over the weekend arrested two Malawi Defence Force (MDF) private soldiers and three women for alleged possession of cannabis sativa locally know as chamba.
The five were arrested at Kaombe Roadblock on different occasions on Saturday and Sunday, according to Nkhotakota Police spokesperson Williams Kaponda.
In an interview yesterday, Kaponda said the arrest of the five came after a series of similar cases at Kaombe roadblock during the past few weeks.
He said the two soldiers are 26-year-old Grey Chimbulumata from Parachute Battalion and Mike Jussab, 25, from Malawi Armed Forces College (Mafco) in Salima.
The soldiers were travelling from Dwangwa in Nkhotakota to Salima and stopped at the roadblock with to hitch-hike while the women, also coming from Dwangwa, were in a vehicle going to Ntcheu.
Kaponda said police officers manning the roadblock got suspicious with the soldiers movements which prompted a search in their travelling bags.
Chimbulumata comes from Mponela Village, Traditional Authority (T/A) Kamwana in Dowa while Jusab is from Jemusani Village, T/A Kapeni in Blantyre.
Kaponda also said the women were arrested after a search in the Toyota Passo registration IT 2400 they were travelling in and driven by Emmanuel Chiwaya discovered the drug.
The suspects have been identified as Mirriam Chafera, 30, Cecelia Nkolimbo, 20, and Maria Winstone, 22, are all from Mphandazaola Village, T/A Makwangwala in Ntcheu.
