Zimbabwean woman jailed 10 years in India for drug trafficking

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.