DAR ES SALAAM: THE High Court, Corruption and Economic Crimes Division, has sentenced two men to life imprisonment after finding them guilty of trafficking more than 15 kilogrammes of heroin, in a case that highlights the country’s continued efforts to combat narcotics-related crimes.
The convicted men, Suleiman Ngulangwa and Farid Said, were found guilty of engaging in the illicit trade of heroin weighing 15.19 kilogrammes. The judgment was delivered on Monday by Justice Sedekia Kisanya, who ruled that the prosecution had successfully proved its case beyond reasonable doubt.
In his judgment, Justice Kisanya stated that the evidence presented before the court clearly established that the two accused persons were in possession of the narcotic drugs and were involved in their illegal trafficking.
He noted that the prosecution’s witnesses and exhibits provided a consistent and credible account of the circumstances surrounding the seizure of the drugs.
A key witness in the case was Leonida Michael, a government analyst from the Government Chemist Laboratory Authority (GCLA). Michael testified that scientific examinations conducted on the seized substances confirmed that all 16 packages recovered by law enforcement officers contained heroin with a total weight of 15.19 kilogrammes.
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The court heard that the exhibits were subjected to detailed laboratory analysis, which verified both the nature and quantity of the narcotic substance.
The findings formed a crucial part of the prosecution’s case against the accused. Justice Kisanya further observed that the defence arguments advanced by the accused persons failed to cast doubt on the prosecution’s evidence.
According to the court, the testimonies of prosecution witnesses remained unshaken during cross-examination, while the documentary and physical exhibits presented were found to be reliable and admissible.
However, the court acquitted a third accused person, Sharifa Bakari, after determining that the prosecution had not provided sufficient evidence to establish her involvement in the offence. Justice Kisanya ruled that the evidence presented against her fell short of the legal threshold required for a conviction, leading to her release.