Another cocaine arrest in Bulawayo

A Bulawayo man(35)has been sentenced to 18 months in prison after he was found with a gramme of cocaine in Gwabalanda suburb.

Farai Manja Katiyo from Gwabalanda suburb was searched by detectives following an anonymous tip off and was found in possession of 1g of cocaine which has a street value of $80 last Tuesday.

Katiyo pleaded guilty to a single charge of possessing a dangerous drug when he appeared before Western Commonage magistrate Mr Stephen Ndhlovu.

He told the magistrate that he had no idea that the drug was cocaine.

“I am admitting to the charge but I did not know it was an unlawful substance because a friend of mine left it in my custody for safekeeping,” said Katiyo.

He also said he could not dispute the facts of the matter since he was not the one who bought the drug so he had no knowledge of its street value.

Mr Ndhlovu convicted him on his own plea of guilty and sentenced him to 18 months in prison of which 12 were suspended for good behaviour for the next five years and the remaining six months were converted to 210 hours of community service. zimpapers