Sheron Tholiwe Tshuma (25), the Bulawayo woman found with a 3,14 kgs of cocaine has been acquitted. The cocaine had a street value of $314...
Sheron Tholiwe Tshuma (25), the Bulawayo woman found with a
3,14 kgs of cocaine has been acquitted. The cocaine had a street value of $314
300.
Tshuma who recently returned home from South Africa was
arrested after she collected a parcel sent from India. Her lawyer said she was
not aware that the parcel contained cocaine as she had only been told that she
was supposed to receive fabrics and forward them to South-Africa, hence she
submitted her details.
Magistrate, Crispen Mberewere ruled that the state had failed to prove that
the accused had knowledge of what was contained in the parcel.
“The accused was found in possession of the drugs but that
does not mean she was aware of what was contained in the package. State
witnesses have failed to prove that the accused had the knowledge and intention
to receive dangerous drugs. The legal meaning of possession implies knowledge
and intention to possess and the police failed to take account of that,” said
Mr Mberewere.
“The evidence of the WhatsApp text messages that have been
produced show that the accused did not know what was in the package.
“The State does not have proof that the accused had
knowledge of what was contained in the parcel. Accordingly, I will therefore
return a verdict of not guilty and the accused person is acquitted.”
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