DEC arrest 22 Rastafarians for trafficking in cannabis

DEC public relations officer Samuel Silomba says the Rastafarians who include artists and juveniles were scheduled to attend the Peter Tosh Memorial Concert which was held on Saturday, the 14th of September 2013 at Mount Zion.

Mr Silomba in a statement issued to QFM says the 22 were arrested at a check point mounted by DEC along Mungwi Road.

He says the Commission is saddened to note that among those arrested are school going children aged between 13 and 15 who were also scheduled to attend the said concert.

Meanwhile, the Commission has arrested two Zambia State Insurance Company (ZSIC) employees and a Police officer for obtaining pecuniary advantage by false pretences, forgery and uttering of false documents.

Mr Silomba names those arrested as Stanley Hamusonde, 53, a Sales and Marketing Supervisor at ZSIC Life Insurance, Crispin Phiri, 43, a Compliance Assistant at ZSIC and Elias Chipasha, 37, a Police Officer.

He says particulars of the offence are that on dates unknown but between 1st January, 2011 and 31st December, 2012, Stanley Hamusonde purchased a non-runner Mitsubishi Challenger after which he connived with Elias Chipasha a Police officer to produce a fake road traffic report purporting that the vehicle was involved in an accident when in fact not.

Mr Silomba explains that the said report was used by Stanley Hamusonde a Sales Supervisor at ZSIC to place the vehicle under Ministry of Community Development claim and obtained K75, 000 as insurance cover from ZSIC while Crispin Phiri as an Underwriting Assistant at that time confirmed that the vehicle was insured under ZSIC when in fact not.

The suspects will appear in court soon.