HARARE
–
Nine
Chinese
nationals
arrested
for
cocaine
possession
in
Harare
walked
free
on
Friday
after
being
fined
just
US$150
each,
a
sentence
that
has
triggered
outrage
over
the
judiciary’s
soft
approach
to
drug
offences.
Magistrate
Vakayi
Chikwekwe
convicted
the
group
but
ruled
that
the
quantities
of
cocaine
recovered
were
“insignificant,”
saying
a
harsher
penalty
was
not
justified.
The
alternative
punishment
was
six
months
in
prison.
Those
convicted
are
Yu
Hefeng,
Dong
Yunmei,
Yang
Wanwan,
Wu
Yuejun,
Yang
Qin,
Fang
Yue,
Sun
Jie,
Yao
Wenming
and
Li
Zhongju.
Police
raided
a
Newlands
property
on
September
1
following
a
tip-off
about
rampant
drug
use.
Inside,
police
found
the
Chinese
nationals
split
between
two
lounges,
sniffing
cocaine
off
a
wooden
tray
with
a
golden
playing
card.
Investigators
also
recovered
crystal
meth,
benzodiazepam
and
sachets
of
cocaine
worth
more
than
US$1,000.
While
most
of
the
group
were
released
on
bail
last
week,
alleged
ringleader
Huang
Zhen
was
denied
bail
and
remains
in
custody.
The
outcome
has
raised
eyebrows
in
Zimbabwe,
where
drug
abuse
is
surging
and
authorities
have
vowed
to
crack
down
on
international
cartels.
The
ruling
contrasts
sharply
with
a
recent
case
before
the
High
Court,
where
Justice
Esther
Muremba
blasted
a
Harare
magistrate
for
giving
a
suspended
sentence
and
community
service
to
Christine
Chambati,
a
39-year-old
mother
of
four,
caught
with
nearly
a
kilogram
of
cannabis.
Chambati
had
been
arrested
with
962.6g
of
dagga
worth
just
US$96.20.
Muremba
ruled
that
the
lower
court
had
“fallen
short
of
real
and
substantial
justice,”
noting
that
the
Sentencing
Guidelines
prescribe
a
minimum
three-year
prison
term
for
large
drug
quantities.
She
further
criticised
the
view
that
962g
was
a
“small
amount,”
ruling
instead
that
any
quantity
above
700g
warrants
imprisonment.
The
sharp
disparity
in
sentencing
between
a
local
woman
and
foreign
nationals
has
fuelled
public
anger,
with
critics
accusing
courts
of
inconsistency
and
leniency
towards
well-connected
foreigners.