The Principal Resident Magistrate’s Court in Blantyre has sentenced two Brazilian women to four and a half years in prison for being found in possession of cocaine and for importing the drugs without permit.
This is according to Airport Public Relations Officer Sub Inspector Dorrah Machila who said the two have been identified as Maria Freire, 32, and Estefani Moraes De Lacerda, 31.
Sub Inspector Machila said the two who took an Ethiopian airlines flight from Brazil through Addis-Ababa, were arrested on November 17, 2022 upon arrival at Chileka Airport.
It is reported that as they were passing through one of security check points, Airport Police Officers discovered that their luggage had some substance sealed in plastic bags beneath the suitcase and the contents were later discovered to be cocaine drug weighing 3.6kgs and 3.5kgs.
The suspects were arrested on spot and have been appearing before court for charges of being found in possession of dangerous drugs without permit.
The state prosecutor, Region Prosecution Officer from South-West Police Region, Superintendent Damiano Kaputa pleaded with the court to give the suspects a custodial sentence in order to send a strong message to those planning to do the same.
Principal Resident Magistrate Godfrey Balaka sentenced the two convicts to four and half years imprisonment with hard labour without option of fine on each count and the sentences are to run concurrently.
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