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Fungai Lupande Court Reporter
A South African woman who smuggled more than 2kg of cocaine concealed in envelopes glued on textbook covers was yesterday jailed for 15 years.
Ncombo Theodorah Tobeka (48) of Qweqwe Location, Umtata, Eastern Cape in South Africa, was arrested at the Harare International Airport while on her way from Columbia.

Harare magistrate Mr Donald Ndirowei ruled that there was no special circumstance in Tobeka’s case hence the court was limited to penal provisions of dangerous drugs charges.

Tobeka pleaded guilty to charges of contravening the Criminal Codification and Reform Act as read with the Dangerous Drugs Act (Chapter 15.02).

She asked for forgiveness and indicated that it was her first time committing the offence while submitting her special circumstances yesterday before Mr Ndirowei.

“I am so sorry, I was not aware that this offence has penal provisions,” she pleaded. The penal provisions for cocaine is a jail term of 15 to 20 years depending on circumstances and a magistrate can only impose a lesser sentence if special circumstances are found.

Prosecutor Ms Sharon Mashavira told the court that on December 18 last year, detectives from CID Drugs Squad Harare deployed at the Harare International Airport were tipped that Tobeka was coming to Zimbabwe in possession of dangerous drugs.

On that day, Tobeka arrived from Columbia aboard Ethiopian Airlines landing at 12:45pm.
Detectives liaised with immigration officers for the identity of Tobeka and at 1:50pm the plane landed.

Tobeka was identified when she presented her South African passport to an immigration official for clearance.
Detectives were alerted and started monitoring her from immigration cubicles.

Tobeka was intercepted on her way out of the cubicle heading out of the airport.
She was searched and four textbooks were discovered in her black suitcase, each containing two plastic envelopes glued to both side covers containing cocaine.

The eight envelopes were weighed in Tobeka’s presence and recorded 2,108kg.
The contents tested positive for cocaine. The substance was later referred to the Forensic Science Laboratory which confirmed it was cocaine.