The Liwonde First Grade Magistrate Court on Thursday fined three men for being found in possession of stolen medical drugs.
The court ordered the three to pay K30,000 each after they were convicted of keeping stolen medical drugs which is contrary to section 329 of the Penal Code as read with section 65 of Pharmacy, Medicines and Poisons Act.
According to Machinga police spokesperson Davie Sulumba, the three are Laston Chirwa aged 43 who is a salesman at WorldWide Pharmaceutical Distributions, 30 year-old Leonard Mawaya, and Leonard Mpamba, 32.
Presenting facts in court, police prosecutor Ezekiel Kalunga said on 3rd December police officers and officials from Ministry of Health conducted an operation. In the process the officers came across Flora Mukala who was found with medical drugs such as packet of Quinine, one carton of Mpicillery HTC, and packet of Chrolaphenical.
The woman revealed that she bought the drugs, which are valued at K250,000, from the convicts. In court the three pleaded guilty to charges against them.
Kalunga asked the court to impose stiffer punishment to the convicts as a lot of people are suffering to get medical drugs in Government Hospitals due to shortage of drugs because of such malpractices.
During mitigation, all the convicts prayed for leniency saying they are breadwinners.
Passing her judgment, Liwonde First Grade Magistrate Esther Phiri ordered the convicts to pay a fine of K30,000 each or in default to go to prison for 12 months.
Laston Chirwa hails from Msatsi village, Traditional Authority (T/A) Mduwa in Mchinji while Leonard Mawaya is from Wetheya Village, T/A Juma and Leonard Mpamba comes from Chonde Village, T/A Mthiramanja, both from Mulanje.
