Zimbabwean beautician caught with 2.9kg of heroin sentenced to 22 years in prison

 Kochi: Sharon Chigwaza (33), a Zimbabwean beautician caught with 2,910 gm of heroin at Kochi airport, was sentenced to 22 years of rigorous imprisonment under two sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act on Wednesday.

Ernakulam Additional Sessions VII judge VPM Sureshbabu also slapped a fine of Rs 1.5 lakh each under section 21 (c) and section 23 (c) of the NDPS Act for carrying and smuggling in the narcotic drug to India. If the fine is not paid, she must serve another six months each for the two charges.

D Pramila, the Intelligence Officer of the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) in Kochi, investigated the case.
Chigwaza said she was just a carrier who agreed to bring in the drugs to raise money for her treatment in Delhi.

The court, however, did not go into the reasons for the crime, said Special Public Prosecutor for the NCB Adv Sunil J. Five grams of heroin is a small quantity, and 250 gm is a commercial quantity. "Chigwaza was caught with nearly 12 times the commercial quantity," said Adv Sunil.

The minimum punishment for carrying and smuggling commercial quantities of heroin is 10 years each, and the maximum punishment is 20 years each. The court factored in her poor background and the fact that she was a woman and sentenced her to 11 years for each offence, he said. "The sentences will run concurrently, so she will serve only 11 years in prison," he said.

According to her statement to investigators, Chigwaza had been living as a refugee in South Africa with her parents and two sisters. However, NCB officials said her refugee certificate was fake.

On June 19, 2021, she landed at Kochi airport from Johannesburg via Doha on a Qatar Airways flight. As she prepared to board an onward IndiGo flight to Delhi, airport security grew suspicious and detained her. They found 2,910 gm of heroin in a secret pocket in her trolley bag. She was arrested, and the case was handed over to NCB.

Chigwaza told the officials that she had suffered multiple miscarriages and wanted money for treatment in Delhi. She said her Nigerian friend Ifeanyi offered her $2,000 (around Rs 1.47 lakh in June 2021) if she delivered the contraband at a Delhi lodge.

He reportedly told her that his brother would pick up the package and give her the money. She took up the offer. It was her first trip to India. Special Public Prosecutor Adv Sunil said the court's sentencing clearly communicated that "irrespective of nationality or circumstances, peddling drugs is a crime against the nation and will be punished." The court also said that the three years and seven months she spent in prison before her conviction would be deducted from her sentence.