Malawi jails Angolan for possessing Cocaine

Lilongwe senior resident magistrate court has sentenced an Angolan for possessing Cocaine.

The convict Joad Matateu aged 44 from Luanda was arrested at Kamuxu international Airport on 30th August as he was to board Kenya Airways to Nairobi.

Cocaine was hidden in bottles of lotion.

In court Matateu pleaded guilty and the state through deputy director of prosecutions Mr Chafikana asked the court to pass an immediate custodial sentence of not less than five years considering a number of factors.

“They included planned offence, Malawi not a transit country for dangerous drug, Malawi is fighting against drug crimes and drug traffickers are people who have money,” said Chafikana.

In mitigation lawyers of Matateu, Wesley Namasala and Donovan Silungwe asked the court to impose a suspended sentence on their client, pay fine or deport him.

“Matateu speaks Portuguese and suffers from hypertension therefore if put in prison his life will be in danger,” lawyers said.

Then the state told the court that there are many foreigners in Malawi’s prisons who do not understand any local language and there is a clinic at Maula prison which can refer him to hospital of his choice.

Then the court sentenced him and destroyed the cocaine.

Meanwhile, Police in Nkhata-bay is keeping in custody Amos Kamanga 18 for being found with Indian hemp.

Nkhatabay police publicist Ignatius Esau said Kamanga was travelling from Dwangwa to Mxuxu with two bags of the hemp in a minibus.

In a related development, police at Chintheche is keeping in custody a 20 year old man Simon Kalusa for possessing 64 kilograms of cannabis Sativa.

“Kalusa was arrested at Matete road block after officers intercepted a minibus on its way from Mxuxu to Dwangwa,” said Esau.

Amos Kamanga comes from Kasexa village TA Mbelwa in Mzimba and Symon Kalusa from Chanunkha village TA Mwaulambia in Chitipa.