POLICE INTERCEPT CHAMBA ‘CAKES’ AT KIA

Police at Kamuzu International Airport (KIA) on Thursday intercepted chamba “cakes” weighing 4kg posted from Harare, Zimbabwe, and heading to the United Kingdom on Kenyan Airways.

Spokesperson for KIA Police, Sgt. Sapulain Chitonde, told Mana that the chamba was disguised as cakes and wrapped in carbon papers, which were covered with hot pepper apparently in an attempt to kill the smell.

“The parcel was en route to UK with a London address as its destination, and a Harare address as where it was posted from,” explained Chitonde.

He said the authorities were yet to chart the next step regarding the parcel which had since been seized.

This is the first chamba (Cannabis sativa) interception at KIA in the year but more similar cases were reported at the airport between August and November in 2015.

During the period, police in Blantyre arrested a Nigerian known as Mzee Chidiebere on allegations that he was behind the posting of some such parcels from Blantyre to Europe via KIA.

Importation, exportation, possession or consumption of chamba is illegal in Malawi under Sec. 11 (A) of the Penal Code as read with Regulation 19 of Dangerous Drug Act, according to Chitonde.mana