Four farmers held in Zambia over 1,228 kg of cultivated cannabis
Zambia's Drug Enforcement Commission arrested four small-scale farmers in North-Western and Luapula provinces for unlawful cultivation of cannabis plants. Officers attributed 1,228 kg of cannabis to the four, including two Solwezi plots concealed in maize and potato fields.
🇿🇲 Shafulundu area, Solwezi and Kolala Village, North-Western Province, and Paison Village, Luapula Province · Zambia
Zambia’s Drug Enforcement Commission arrested four small-scale farmers in
North-Western and Luapula provinces for unlawful cultivation of cannabis plants.[1]Daniel Mwemba, 51, a small-scale farmer of the Shafulundu area in Solwezi,
was arrested for cultivating cannabis plants weighing 295 kg.[1]Mwemba was
jointly charged with David Lewila, 47, of the same abode for unlawful
cultivation of 408 kg of cannabis concealed in maize and potato fields.[1]Bupe Ngandwe, 42, a small-scale farmer of Paison Village in Luapula Province,
was arrested for unlawful cultivation of 410 kg of fresh cannabis plants.[1]Christopher Mwewa, 45, a small-scale farmer of Kolala Village in North-Western
Province, was arrested for unlawful cultivation of 115 kg of fresh cannabis
plants.[1]
The Solwezi cannabis was concealed in maize and potato fields, and Mwewa’s crop
was inter-cropped with maize.[2]The Commission put the four farmers’ combined
cannabis at over 1,225 kg.[1]DEC deputy public relations officer Kamufisa
Manchishi disclosed the Solwezi arrests in a statement.[2]
Drug Enforcement Commission spokesperson Theresa Katongo announced the four
arrests.[1]All the suspects were in police custody and were expected to
appear in court soon.[1]
Case data
Every number and detail the sources state, with the sources that state it.
Arrested
4
Cannabis
1.228 t
Agency type
Anti-narcotics agency, Police
Cannabis
Living plants (1.228 t)
Activity
Cultivation
Setting
Field
Grown
Outdoor
Charge
unlawful cultivation of cannabis
Case stage
Under investigation
Force
No force reported
Date
Publication date
Sources
Mwebantumwebantu.comFour small scale farmers arrested by DEC for unlawful cultivation of cannabis plants
No separate dates were published for the arrests; 20 February 2019, the earliest publication date, stands in for the incident date.
No single published total of 1,228 kg was given; it is the sum of the four stated weights (295 kg, 408 kg, 410 kg and 115 kg), consistent with the reported total of over 1,225 kg.
No figure for the number of plants or the area of the maize, potato and inter-cropped fields was published.
No court outcome beyond the expected court appearance was reported.
The two outlets attribute the announcement to different DEC spokespersons, Kamufisa Manchishi and Theresa Katongo.
Zambia's Drug Enforcement Commission arrested and jointly charged a Malawian man and a Zambian woman over 175 kg of dry cannabis carried from Malawi into Zambia through Lumezi district. Both were on the commission's watch list for cross-border trafficking.
Zambia's Drug Enforcement Commission arrested four suspects and seized 25.4 kg of cannabis in intelligence-led operations across Muchinga, Southern and Lusaka provinces. Those held included Binwell Chanda with 18.5 kg in Mafinga, Selina Mwalama with 4.6 kg in Sinazongwe and a Congolese national with 2.3 kg at Chirundu, all awaiting court.
Zambia's Drug Enforcement Commission arrested five suspects after intercepting a Copperbelt-bound public bus near Kasanda Police Station in Kabwe. The bus allegedly carried high-grade cannabis and Benylin with codeine, and the suspects were held for court.
Zambia's Drug Enforcement Commission arrested Tanzanian national Ahmed Muharram in Lilayi, Lusaka, seizing 1,380.8 kg of high-grade cannabis linked to him. Six other suspects were held in the same coordinated operations, including two Burundian nationals in Chirundu, and all awaited court.
