Drugs stash lands three women in court

Yeukai Karengezeka

Court Correspondent

Three women from Harare appeared in court yesterday after they were this week allegedly found with 378g grammes of methylenedioxymethamphetamine (ecstasy), infamously known locally as mutoriro, with a street value of more than $3 million at two different places.

Memory Gavaza (44), Norah Kandawasvika (46) and Evelyn Ropafadzo Chikurwe (30) were represented by Mr Joseph Nemaisa when they appeared before Harare provincial magistrate Mr Dennis Mangosi.

They are being charged with unlawful dealing in dangerous drugs and a bail ruling will be made today.

The State alleges that on Tuesday at around midnight, detectives from CID Drugs and Narcotics received a tip-off of rampant drug dealing at 25 Mangwende Street, Mbare National, Harare.

They reacted and raided the house. Gavaza who is the housekeeper at Kandawasvika’s residence was in the sitting room when detectives arrived to search for drugs.

Gavaza voluntarily produced from under a bed a lunch box containing 72 sachets of suspected methamphetamine weighing 38g and worth $38 000 and a scale.

She was arrested and implicated her boss Kandawasvika as the owner of the seized methamphetamine which she was selling on her behalf.

The two were escorted to CID Drugs and Narcotics Harare for further management. Preliminary tests found the drug tested positive to methamphetamine.

Mr Nemaisa told the court that his clients were assaulted and Kandawasvika was robbed of US$2 800 by the detectives during the search.

“The detectives that conducted a house search took away her beige pouch which had US$3 200,” he said. The money was never counted in the presence of Gavaza and was not handed over to the police at Harare Central. Her pouch was returned without proper documentation with only US$400. Efforts to identify the detectives have proven to be fruitless.”

When Chikurwe was brought to court, the State alleged that on Tuesday at around 3pm she was found in possession of 340g worth $3,4 million in Tynwald by detectives from CID Drugs and Narcotics.

When they arrived, the detectives found Chikurwe holding a small bag and was about to leave the house.

They searched her bag and allegedly found the drugs.

When the police arrested her, she led detectives to 9953 Kuwadzana Phase 3, where she took a plastic bag of suspected methylenedioxymethamphetamine from her wardrobe and handed it over to the detectives.

A field test on the seized drugs was carried out and tested positive for methamphetamine.

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