Nine Chinese nationals convicted of possessing cocaine were yesterday each fined US$150 or, in default, face six months in jail, following a ruling by Harare magistrate Vakayi Chikwekwe.
Magistrate Chikwekwe found Yu Hefeng, Dong Yunmei, Yang Wanwan, Wu Yuejun, Yang Qin, Fang Yue, Sun Jie, Yao Wenming, and Li Zhongju guilty of unlawful possession of dangerous drugs but noted that the quantity of cocaine involved was minimal.
He ruled that a custodial sentence would have been excessive.
Prosecutors told the court that on September 1, detectives acted on a tip-off about suspected drug abuse at a lodge located at 60 Knightsbridge Road, Newlands, Harare.
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Upon arrival, police found four Chinese men in one lounge sniffing cocaine. The men implicated other nationals who were partying in an adjacent lounge.
Officers entered the second room and discovered more individuals taking turns to sniff cocaine, using a golden playing card to prepare the drug on a wooden tray.
Police searched the premises and recovered two sachets of cocaine from a cream Louis Vuitton handbag belonging to Huang Zhen, who is suspected to be the ringleader. Unlike his colleagues, Zhen was denied bail and remains in custody.
Authorities also discovered benzodiazepam and crystal meth at the scene.
The total value of the recovered drugs was pegged at US$1 020.
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