A South African based 33-year-old Zimbabwean woman was on Wednesday slapped with a 6 months jail term after she was convicted of smuggling drugs worth $27 000 via Robert Mugabe International Airport.
Harare Magistrate Learnmore Mapiye ruled that the convict, Judith Munemo will serve four months effective with two months set aside after she pleaded guilty to the charges last Thursday.
Munemo initially tried to disown the drugs saying she did not know how they ended up in her bag but changed plea after she was cornered by the prosecutor, admitting to committing the offence in a bid to fend for her family.
Munemo was nabbed upon arrival at the airport following a tip-off by some unknown persons.
The drug smuggler was charged with contravening the Medicines and Allied Substances Control Act.
It is the state’s case that on 1 January 2019, detectives from CID drugs and Narcotics Harare, received a tip-off to the effect that Munemo was aboard an Ethiopian Air flight ET 863 from India and was in possession of Ephedrine.
Detectives went to the airport and managed to identify her while collecting her luggage comprising of a brown bag and a monarch bag.
The Court further heard that she took the green route used by passengers without anything to declare and was intercepted at the exit.
Upon being searched, she was found in possession of 18 x 500-gram tins containing ephedrine.
She was arrested and brought before court where she was remanded in custody and sentenced yesterday.
