Sharon Chigwaza, a 33-year-old Zimbabwean beautician, was sentenced to 22 years of rigorous imprisonment in India on Wednesday under two sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.
As reported by <a href="https://www.onmanorama.com/news/kerala/2025/01/29/kochi-airport-heroin-smuggling-case-zimbabwe.html">onmanorama</a>, Chigwaza was arrested at Kochi airport in June 2021 after being caught with 2,910 grams of heroin.
Ernakulam Additional Sessions Judge VPM Sureshbabu also imposed a fine of Rs 1.5 lakh for each of the two charges under Section 21(c) and Section 23(c) of the NDPS Act, relating to the carrying and smuggling of the narcotic drug into India.
If the fine is not paid, she will face an additional six months in prison for each charge.
Chigwaza claimed she was merely a carrier who agreed to smuggle the drugs in exchange for money to fund her treatment in Delhi.
However, the court did not consider her reasons for committing the crime, according to Special Public Prosecutor for the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), Adv Sunil J.
He said five grams of heroin is a small quantity, and 250 gm is a commercial quantity, adding that “Chigwaza was caught with nearly 12 times the commercial quantity”.
Under Indian law, the minimum punishment for carrying and smuggling commercial quantities of heroin is 10 years, with a maximum of 20 years.
The court took into account her poor background and gender, sentencing her to 11 years for each offence. Said Adv Sunil:
<blockquote>
The sentences will run concurrently, so she will serve only 11 years in prison.
</blockquote>
According to her statement to investigators, Chigwaza had been living as a refugee in South Africa with her parents and two sisters.
However, officials from the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) determined that her refugee certificate was fraudulent.
On June 19, 2021, Chigwaza arrived at Kochi airport from Johannesburg via Doha on a Qatar Airways flight.
While preparing to board an onward IndiGo flight to Delhi, airport security became suspicious and detained her.
They discovered 2,910 grams of heroin hidden in a secret pocket of her trolley bag. She was subsequently arrested, and the case was transferred to the NCB.
During questioning, Chigwaza claimed that she had experienced multiple miscarriages and needed money for treatment in Delhi.
She further claimed that a Nigerian friend, Ifeanyi, had offered her US$2,000 (approximately ₹1.47 lakh in June 2021) to deliver the drugs to a lodge in Delhi.
He assured her that his brother would pick up the package and provide her with the money. This was her first trip to India.
Special Public Prosecutor Adv. Sunil said the court’s sentencing underscored the message that “regardless of nationality or circumstances, drug trafficking is a crime against the nation and will be punished.”
The court also said that the three years and seven months Chigwaza spent in prison before her conviction would be deducted from her sentence.

Pindula News

A lady from Zimbabwe was caught smuggling drugs in India and got 22 years in jail. She was arrested at the airport with a lot of heroin in her bag. She said she did it for money. The court didn't care and still gave her a long sentence. The lady lied about being a refugee. She was promised money by a friend to deliver the drugs. The court said that no matter who you are, smuggling drugs is a serious crime. She will be in jail for 11 years.

Zimbabwean Beautician Sentenced To 22 Years In India For Smuggling Heroin

A 30-year-old Namibian woman has been arrested at OR Tambo International Airport, Johannesburg, South Africa, marking the tenth drug mule apprehended at this location in the past two months.
Police in South Africa on Sunday said that officials from the South African Police Service (SAPS), South African Revenue Service (SARS) customs, and immigration had been acting on intelligence regarding a drug mule arriving from São Paulo at approximately 07:25 AM.
The team intercepted her as she passed through immigration and promptly arrested her. She was then taken to a local hospital, where a medical X-ray revealed foreign objects in her stomach.
<img alt="Image" decoding="async" src="https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GYGKiZ2WMAAamWm?format=jpg&amp;name=large"/>
SAPS said the process of extracting the suspected drugs was ongoing, and the woman had already expelled more than 60 packets of suspected cocaine. She remained under police guard as the investigation continued.
The total value of the drugs is not yet known, as it could take some time to release all suspected substances from her body.
<img alt="Image" decoding="async" src="https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GYGKhZzWUAA0hWM?format=jpg&amp;name=large"/>
General Fannie Masemola, the National Commissioner of SAPS, commended the multidisciplinary team for their vigilance and ongoing efforts to combat criminal activity at OR Tambo International Airport. Said Gen Fannie Masemola:
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Our men and women in blue are hard at work intercepting hardened criminals. South Africa is not a playground for criminals and transnational organised crime. We are squeezing the space for criminals and leaving nothing to chance.
</blockquote>
More: <a href="https://www.pindula.co.zw/">Pindula News</a>

A 30-year-old woman from Namibia was caught at the airport in South Africa with drugs in her stomach. She had swallowed over 60 packets of suspected cocaine. The police arrested her and are trying to get all the drugs out of her body. This was the tenth drug mule caught at the same airport in the last two months. The police in South Africa are working hard to keep criminals out of the country and are being praised for their efforts. The total value of the drugs is still unknown.

Namibian Drug Trafficker Who Swallowed Bullets Of Suspected Drugs Arrested In South Africa

A 71-year-old foreign national was arrested on Saturday at the Robert Mugabe International Airport while trying to smuggle drugs worth ZWL$3 million.
The drug mule, Hans Arne Ingemar Petersson, had 3 kilogrammes of heroin stashed in a plastic bag that was in one of his traveling bags.
ZRP national spokesperson Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi confirmed the arrest. He said:
<blockquote>
On 08 April 2023, detectives from CID Drugs and Narcotics, Harare acted on the received information and arrested a foreign national, Hans Arne Ingemar Petersson (71) at RGM Airport, in connection with possession of 3kgs of Heroin with an estimated street value of ZWL$3 400 000.00.
The drugs were recovered stashed in a plastic bag, which was in a false compartment created in a suitcase.
</blockquote>
According to <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/add.15729">the Society for the Study of Addiction (SSA)</a>, Zimbabwe’s illicit substance use problem increased dramatically during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Commonly used substances in Zimbabwe include glue, bronclee, mangemba, cane sprit, marijuana, codeine and methamphetamine (crystal meth).
Very high unemployment rates in Zimbabwe, coupled with poverty and despair, have resulted in increasing numbers of youthful citizens also turning to use drugs as a way of entertainment.
According to the Ministry of Health and Child Care, people who have problems with drug abuse can be assisted at the following public as well as private health centres:
In case you have a son, daughter, friend, or relative who has a problem with drug abuse, the following public psychiatric institutions offer help in fighting drug addiction:
<blockquote>
1. Sally Mugabe Psychiatric Unit (Harare)
2. Parirenyatwa Annex Psychiatric Unit (Harare)
3. Ingutsheni Psychiatric Hospital (Bulawayo)
4. Ngomahuru Hospital and Half-way House (Masvingo)
The following institutions also offer counselling and rehabilitation services for patients battling drug addiction:
1. Highlands Halfway Home +2638644210999
2. Ruwa Rehabilitation Centre +263273790238
3. Serenity Mind Centre +263716825245
4. Tirivanhu Rehabilitation +263773593014
5. Beatrice Rehabilitation Harare
6. Tariro Rehabilitation Centre, Harare
</blockquote>
More: <a href="https://zero.pindula.co.zw/">Pindula News</a>

Zimbabwe Police Intercept 71 Year Old Drug Mule Carrying $3 Million Heroin

A former Zimbabwean drug mule who spent two years in an Indian jail says an appetite for fast money and a life of luxury lure women into the drug mule trade.
Cynthia Mpunga (42) told News24’s Lenin Ndebele that she hid her drug mule operations from close family members, including her husband.
Mpunga was arrested at Cochin International Airport in the city of Kochi in India in 2015 after security officials found ephedrine that had a street value of about US$ 1.4 million in her luggage.
Even though it is an over-the-counter drug in some countries, it’s illegal in India.
She said she would have received US$450 for delivering the drug, besides accommodation, flights, food and other benefits. She said:
<blockquote>
My family back home was worried. They thought I was held in a dungeon where, probably, there was no one I could speak to in English [while] living in a confined cell. All the scary things you can imagine were on their minds.
Two years was like a death sentence for me, but when I got into prison, I saw life differently.
I took up jobs while inside. I used to clean, and with basic sewing experience, I also did some work with fabrics.
Like other prisoners doing jobs, I earned a decent stipend. That money was deposited into our accounts monthly.
One could withdraw and buy whatever one desired to use after jail time.
</blockquote>
She said while in prison, all she could think of was her daughter, who was only two years old when she was arrested.
Mpunga said she was drawn into the industry by a South African woman who she didn’t want to name for security reasons. 
She said the idea of travelling the world and earning money that even some professionals don’t earn was attractive.
Mpunga said she had been to India five times in the space of three months before, and that aroused suspicions.
Her arrest in India was was the second time she had to be detained for a drug offence in the same year.
Earlier in 2015, Mpunga was arrested in Botswana at Sir Seretse Khama International Airport on arrival in Gaborone from India, via Kenya.
She had 20kg of an illicit substance and spent two months in jail in Botswana and later paid a P10 000 fine for her to be released.
Mpunga was also banned from entering Botswana for 10 years. | <a href="https://www.news24.com/news24/africa/news/two-years-was-like-a-death-sentence-for-me-ex-drug-mule-recalls-her-time-in-an-indian-prison-20221129">News24</a>

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