Malawi deports two Nigerian cocaine dealers

Malawi government through the Lilongwe First Grade Magistrate court has deported two Nigerian nationals for being found in possession of cocaine.

The two are Emmanuel Uche 34, and Lawrence Ekemezie 33. They all pleaded guilty to the offence.

The removal directions was given by senior resident magistrate Grace Chifundo Sokera, in the Lilongwe magistrate court.

The court learnt that Uche was keeping at his Area 47 house 1.92 grammes of the illicit drug, while his accomplice Ekemezie who was staying in a densely populated Mchesi township, in Lilongwe possessed 2.5 grammes of the same.

Police prosecutor Damiano Kaputa, told the court that the two were arrested following police intensive search conducted in the city recently. Adding that, it was then proved that the drug was “indeed” cocaine after being examined by the pharmacy and poison board.

He asked the court to give the drug-traffic dealers stiffer sentences since they came to Malawi as genuine foreign investors only to be involved in illegal drug business.

“Let me ask this court to give these two suspects, stiffer sentences because cases of this nature, are now becoming common in Malawi” said Kaputa.

In their mitigation, the accused asked the court to give them lenient sentences, saying they are all married and that they also employed Malawians such that punishing them severely, would put jobs of many Malawians at risk as well.

However, senior resident magistrate Grace Chifundo Sokela, concurred with the prosecutor and meted out the two, with a fine of MK 150,000 and MK350, 000, respectively or in default imprisonment with Hard Labor (IHL) for two and half years, before they are “eventually” deported.

Sokela emphasized in her ruling, saying that anybody found in possession of dangerous drug is a serious offence in Malawi, under section 35, of the pharmacies and medicine poison board act.