MUTARE - Two men appeared in court here for allegedly possessing 225kg of mbanje.
The dagga was recovered by police in Nyamaropa near Nyanga.
Amon Mdhela, 35, of 1394 Epworth and Doubt Sapali, 37, of 14187 Kuwadzana Extension in Harare, were arrested on August 24.
They face charges of unlawfully dealing in dangerous drugs as defined in Section 156 (1) (c) of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act Chapter 9:23.
They were not asked to plead when they appeared before magistrate Makamera Waini.
They applied for bail pending trial. Ruling on the application will be handed today.
According to State papers, on June 29 at 1900hrs at Nyamutenha village in Nyamaropa, the two allegedly left seven sacks with mbanje weighing 225kg at Tendai Manganda’s homestead for
safekeeping.
Later that evening at around 2100hrs, the two came back to collect the dagga in the company of Chamunorwa Mpofu.
They loaded it into a Toyota Gaia registration number ACW 4562 they had hired. It was being driven by Gift Munyaradzi Sithole.
Mdhela, the State alleges, then travelled with Sithole with the drugs while Sapali and Mpofu were in a Nissan Skyline lead car, scouting the road.
The two-vehicle convoy was intercepted by police at Nyamaropa-Nyakomba dust road.
As they demanded identification from Mpofu and Sapali, the Toyota Gaia made a quick U-turn. Mdhela jumped off and it sped away towards Nyakomba Business Centre.
Mpofu sped off towards Nyamaropa Business Centre, leaving behind his driver’s licence with the police.
Sithole then off-loaded the dagga in some bushes but his Toyota Gaia developed problems a few metres from where he had dumped his load, forcing him to abandon the vehicle.
Mpofu is still at large.
Amos Chibaya appeared for the accused persons.