Drug mule gets 14 years behind bars

A drug mule who was busted transporting R350,000 worth of Tik on a bus near Beaufort West in the Karoo was sentenced to 14 years behind bars.

 Esther Chakaira, 23, a Zimbabwean national who was in South Africa illegally, was arrested in October 2018 during a police intelligence driven operation.

Police spokesperson Captain Malcolm Pojie said the bust was carried out by members of the Western Cape Provincial Organised Crime Narcotics Section following a tipoff.

Pojie said a kilogram of Tik was found in the luggage compartment of a passenger bus that was travelling through the town towards Cape Town.

“The illicit find with an estimated value of about R350,000 was confiscated and the accused was arrested on the spot,” he said.

On June 14, Beaufort West Regional Court found Chakaira guilty of dealing in drugs and contravention of the Immigration Act.

“The magistrate imposed direct imprisonment of 14-years for the illegal drugs and 1-year imprisonment for being in the country unlawful,” Pojie said.

The sentence will run concurrently.

Pojie said that the sentence was part of an operation to eradicate drug abuse and trafficking from the province.

“This harsh sentence imposed on such a young peddler should act as  a deterrent and warning to other potential mules to rather obey the laws of our country in being citizens of exemplary stature," he said.

"This conviction also enhances and demonstrates the trust we have in our judicial system.”