Court Sentences Two Men over Possession of 56 Bags of Chamba

Two men have been sentenced to five years imprisonment with hard labour by Lilongwe Magistrate Court after they were found guilty for possession of 56 bags of Indian hemp valued at K1.56 million.

The two are Simon Muira, 36 and Robert Liyati 32, who received the judgment on Wednesday.

The court held through state prosecutor, Senior Superintendent Cecelia Zangazanga that on August 26, 2016, police in Dwangwa received a tip from well-wishers that the two convicts were packing the illegal substance in a car at Chinkhuti farm.

“The police arrested the first suspect (Muira) while the other one bolted. He was arrested later on after the police launched a manhunt,” Central Region Police Headquarters Spokesperson Sub-Inspector Jessica Mphasa said.

Passing the sentence, Senior Resident Magistrate Shyreen Yona slapped the two with 5 years imprisonment with hard labour without an option of a fine.

Simon Muira hails from Simon Nyondo village, Traditional Authority (T/A) Mwaulambia, Chitipa district while Robert Liyati comes from Dzuma village, T/A Chiwere, Dowa district.