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Comment on Court fines Chinese nationals US$150 for cocaine possession by Nyoni
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Comments for Zimbabwe Situation
Source: Court fines Chinese nationals US$150 for cocaine possession – Zimbabwe News NowHARARE – Nine Chinese nationals arrested for cocaine possession in Harare walked free on Friday after being fined just US$150 each, a sentence that has triggered outrage over the judiciary’s soft approach to drug offences.
Magistrate Vakayi Chikwekwe convicted the group but ruled that the quantities of cocaine recovered were “insignificant,” saying a harsher penalty was not justified.
Inside, police found the Chinese nationals split between two lounges, sniffing cocaine off a wooden tray with a golden playing card.
Investigators also recovered crystal meth, benzodiazepam and sachets of cocaine worth more than US$1,000.
The outcome has raised eyebrows in Zimbabwe, where drug abuse is surging and authorities have vowed to crack down on international cartels.
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