Lilongwe police arrest two women for drug peddling

Malawi: Police in Lilongwe on Tuesday, October 11, 2022, arrested two women for allegedly being found in possession of dangerous (controlled) drugs suspected to be Ephedrine illegally.

Beatrice Kaunda, 19, of Kande Village, Traditional Authority (T/A) Mankhambira, Nkhata-Bay, and Sekai Chiwala, 46, of Masaliyele Village, T/A Mkanda, Mchinji District, have been identified as suspects.

Lilongwe Police spokesperson Inspector Hastings Chigalu said the suspects were in possession of a carton containing mesh that was bound for the Philippines, via one of the town's courier services.

When the parcel was being handled, the courier officials were not convinced by the alleged contents of the carton, so they demanded a physical check.

They discovered the dangerous drugs hidden inside the parcel after opening it.

Lilongwe police detectives were immediately called in to handle the situation, and they arrested the suspects and seized the drugs.

During questioning, the suspects claimed that they were given the parcel by a certain Nigerian national who is a close neighbour of the first suspect and that it was sent abroad via that courier company.

Efforts to find and apprehend the alleged owner of the parcel are well underway, according to the police.

The suspected Ephedrine has been sent for testing to the Pharmacy, Medicines and Regulatory Authority (PMRA).

The suspects are currently being held in police custody awaiting their court appearance to answer a case of Found In Possession of Dangerous Drugs, which violates Regulation 4A as read with Section 19 (1) of the Dangerous Drugs Act.

Meanwhile, Lilongwe Police is advising residents to exercise extreme caution whenever they are sent on such errands by suspicious individuals.