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Prosper Dembedza – Court Correspondent

Three suspected drug dealers have appeared in court after they were caught with 230 grammes of cocaine valued at $1 932 000.

Patience Murinda (23), Siegfried Zibusiso Ndlovu (33) and Karoline Silva Mafra (23) were facing charges of contravening the dangerous drugs act when they appeared before Harare Magistrate Mrs Babra Mateko.

They were advised to apply bail at the High Court.

Allegations are that on April 1 information was received to the effect that Mafra was coming to Zimbabwe from Brazil with a contraband of cocaine aboard Ethiopian Airways and was expected to arrive at Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport the following day.

It is the State’s case that acting on the information, detectives from the Criminal Investigations Department Drugs, Narcotics and Canine Harare, Homicide as well as Law and Order proceeded to the airport and intercepted Mafra.

The court heard that Murinda and Ndlovu arrived at the airport driving a BMW vehicle to pick Mafra and they were arrested by the detectives.

They were interviewed and it was discovered that they were acting on instruction from one Nigerian called ‘Boby’, no further particulars known, to receive Mafra and accompany her to Graceland guest house in Marlborough Harare, where she was booked and were supposed to give Boby the drugs.

It is alleged after a thorough interview Murinda and Ndlovu led detectives to their residence where they recovered seven fabric samples from their bedroom packed in a plastic paper bag.

The State alleges in between the fabric and plastic there were white powered drugs suspected to cocaine. Preliminary field tests were done on the powder and tested positive for cocaine.