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Juma Ally Juma (30) and Masumbuko Abdallah Munguni (38) pleaded not guilty to dealing in dangerous drugs when they appeared before provincial magistrate Mr Munamato Mutevedzi.

However, the court convicted the pair because of overwhelming evidence.
Mr Mutevedzi sentenced them to seven years imprisonment of which three years were suspended on condition of good behaviour.

Their sentencing had been delayed after the State failed to secure a Swahili interpreter.
Prosecutor Mr Tapiwa Kasema proved that Juma and Abdallah and their co-accused Francis William, a South African, swallowed the capsules on July 26 last year while in Tanzania, on their way to South Africa via Lusaka,  Zambia. William’s case has not yet been completed.

The trio boarded an Ingwe Bus from Lusaka and crossed Chirundu border into Zimbabwe without being detected.
While they were a few kilometres before Makuti, William developed a stomach problem and went to the toilet on the bus. He spent about 20 minutes in the toilet and an unpleasant smell permeated the bus, prompting the bus crew to investigate.

The crew discovered a small plastic tube in the toilet cistern and suspected William was a drug mule.
William was taken to the police in Karoi and allegedly excreted 92 capsules of cocaine while in custody.
During investigations, police discovered that Juma and Abdallah were using the same telephone numbers with William for their next of kin on the bus passenger manifest.

They were also taken to the same police station and Juma excreted 96 cocaine capsules.
While at the station, Abdallah developed a stomachache and was taken to Chinhoyi Hospital, where he was medically induced and excreted 63 capsules. — CR.