Nkhotakota police arrested two Malawi Defence Force private soldiers, Grey Chimbulumata, 26, of Parachute Battalion and Mike Jusab, 25, of Mafco Barracks, at the Kaombe police roadblock.[1] Police said the two came to the roadblock looking for a lift to Salima, grew suspicious of their movements and found the drug in their travelling bags; each of their two bags held some.[2] Malawi24 reported that the soldiers were stopped at the roadblock on the night of Saturday 20 December 2014.[2]

In a separate case at the same roadblock two days earlier, police arrested three women, Milliam Chafera, 30, Cecelia Nkolimbo, 20, and Maria Winstone, 22, all from Mphandazaola village in Ntcheu.[1] The women were travelling in a Toyota Passo driven by Emmanuel Chiwaya, and their travelling bags were found to contain Indian hemp totalling 32 kilograms.[1] The driver, in transit from Tanzania to Blantyre, said his passengers boarded at Dwangwa; the women could not produce a licence and were arrested at once.[1] Police charged all five with possessing cannabis sativa without a licence.[1]

The soldiers were taken before the First Grade Magistrate Court in Nkhotakota, pleaded guilty and were each fined K40,000 or, in default, two years’ imprisonment with hard labour.[3] State prosecutor sergeant Ngupasye Muyira told the court the two were arrested at the Kaombe checkpoint on 20 December 2014 with cannabis and no licence.[3] In mitigation the soldiers said they supported their families and paid school fees for orphans they look after, and in sentencing Magistrate Fred Juma Chilowetsa called the offence serious and Indian hemp cases common in Nkhotakota.[3]