By Ndumiso Tshuma
An Indian court on Wednesday sentenced a 40-year-old Zimbabwean woman to 10 years in prison for possessing 8.5 kg of methamphetamine and heroin.
The special Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act court also imposed a fine of ₹2 lakh (US$2,400) on the accused, Rosie Diamon.
As reported by the Hindustan Times, Diamon was arrested on February 13, 2022, after the Air Intelligence Unit received information that she was on a flight into the country in possession of narcotics.
Acting on the tip, unit officers monitored the passengers and identified Diamon through her passport. They noticed she was carrying a trolley bag and a handbag.
The officers checked her trolley bag and found that the files and folders inside contained 8.486 kg of yellowish-colored powder granules and white crystals.
In convicting Diamon, Special Judge A.V. Kharkar noted:
“Upon reviewing all the evidence, it is clear that the accused was found in possession of a commercial quantity of illegal methamphetamine and heroin. The prosecution witness’s testimony is credible and reliable.”
In her written statement, Diamon claimed her cousin, who belonged to a gang from Zimbabwe, had lured her with money and given her a bag to carry to India, which unknowingly contained the contraband.
She pleaded for leniency, stating she was unaware of the bag’s contents and came from a poor family with dependent children.
The court noted that Diamon did not deny either possessing the bag or the contraband found within it. The court stated:
“Instead, in her written arguments, she claims the bag was given to her by her cousin, who is involved with a gang. In such cases, the court must presume that the accused was knowingly carrying the contraband.
In April 2018, another Zimbabwean woman, Betty Rame (38), was arrested by a Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) team at the IGI Airport with two concealed bags containing a crystalline substance that tested positive for methamphetamine.
Rame was convicted and sentenced in August 2021 to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment with a ₹1 lakh fine under the NDPS Act.
However, in June 2023, the Delhi High Court suspended the sentence, noting alleged non-compliance with the procedure for sampling the seized substance and Rame’s four years in custody.
