A 43 year old security guard of Hillside Girls Secondary School in Chipata has been sentenced to nine months imprisonment with hard labour on one count of trafficking in psychotropic substances.
Chipata Magistrate, Lubutwe Hara, sentenced Julius Njobvu of Magazine Compound for being in possession of marijuana weighing 48 kilograms.
Facts of the matter are that on May 8th, 2017, Njobvu was arrested by DEC, the Drug Enforcement Commission officers from his work place after being found with marijuana.
Njobvu pleaded guilty to the charge, stating that he was in possession of the marijuana for his own consumption.
And in Mitigation, Njobvu asked the court to exercise leniency as he is a first offender and that he is a family man, who is taking care of his four children and his grandmother, aged 92.
Magistrate Hara said that the court had heard his mitigation, but sentenced him to nine months imprisonment with hard labour effective from the day of his arrest, because he had no authority to be in possession of marijuana.
The magistrate said the convict can appeal within fourteen days if he is not satisfied with the judgement.