2 Zimbabweans in court over mutoriro shipment to the Philippines

TWO Bulawayo women have appeared before a Harare regional magistrate facing charges of allegedly attempting to export a combined 2.165 kilogrammes of methamphetamine to the Philippines concealed in a leatherette folder and four hippopotamus curios.

Michelle Mupati (26), of Suburbs, and Lorcadia Zhou (20), of Old Pumula, are facing separate charges arising from two shipments allegedly sent through FedEx in March this year.

The State, led by Ms Heather Mhlanga-Muokoto, alleges that Mupati first visited a FedEx branch in Bulawayo on March 12 intending to send a brown leatherette folder to the Philippines.

She allegedly told the branch manager that the parcel contained a folder destined for relatives in the Philippines.

However, a customer service agent reportedly became suspicious after recognising Mupati as someone who had previously sent similar parcels to the same destination.

The State alleges that the branch alerted its Harare office, which instructed that the parcel be subjected to further scrutiny upon arrival.

According to the prosecution, FedEx internal operations manager Simbarashe Muronzi noticed that the folder's zip appeared to have been tampered with and that small granules were coming out of it.

Detectives from the Criminal Investigations Department's Drugs and Narcotics section were then called in and conducted a field test which allegedly indicated the presence of methamphetamine.

The folder was seized and Mupati was subsequently arrested on April 10 at her Suburbs home.

The court heard that detectives allegedly recovered her national identity card, which had been photocopied when she sent the parcel.

Investigations allegedly established that the residential address supplied when the parcel was dispatched was false.

The State further alleges that when the folder was opened on April 11 in Mupati's presence, two black plastic packets containing suspected methamphetamine were recovered from either side of the folder.

The substances allegedly weighed 550 grammes and 503 grammes, giving a combined weight of 1 053 grammes.

Forensic tests allegedly confirmed that the substance was methamphetamine, with the State estimating its street value at US$10 530.

Drugs allegedly hidden in hippo curios

In a separate charge, Mupati and Zhou are accused of attempting to export another 1 112 grammes of methamphetamine to the Philippines concealed inside four hippopotamus curios.

The State alleges that Mupati used her identification particulars to dispatch the parcel on March 23, while Zhou assisted her.

Once again, a FedEx employee allegedly became suspicious after recognising Mupati from previous shipments to the same destination.

Upon arrival in Harare, Muronzi allegedly noticed that the bases of all four hippopotamus curios had been tampered with.

Detectives were called to the premises and seized the curios.

The two women were subsequently arrested on April 10, with Zhou allegedly apprehended in Bulawayo's central business district.

The State alleges that Zhou had also provided a false residential address when the parcel was sent.

When the curios were opened on April 11 in the presence of the accused, four black plastic packets containing suspected methamphetamine were allegedly recovered.

The substances allegedly weighed 382 grammes, 378 grammes, 210 grammes and 142 grammes respectively, giving a combined weight of 1 112 grammes.

Forensic tests allegedly confirmed the substance as methamphetamine, which the State valued at approximately US$11 120.

The prosecution is expected to produce the alleged drugs, leatherette folder, four hippopotamus curios, FedEx receipts, identification documents, seizure confirmation receipts, weighing certificates, forensic laboratory reports and CCTV footage as exhibits.

The matter remains pending before the court, and the allegations have yet to be tested through trial.