.Katongo

By JAMES KUNDA and JULIUS PHIRI –

MORE than 96 people were arrested for drug related offences during the long weekend, the Drug Enforcement Commission (DEC) has said.
The Commission has since seized significant stocks of contraband and the suspects will all appear in court soon.
DEC public relations officer Theresa Katongo said in a statement yesterday that the arrests in Mpika involved those cultivating cannabis.
They included three members of the same family, among them two boys aged 13 and 15 years.
Other arrests were made on the Copperbelt, Luapula and Lusaka.
In another operation, the Immigration Department arrested 18 Malawians for illegal entry and stay in the country.
Immigration Department spokesperson Namati Nshinka said in an interview yesterday that those arrested were all males who entered the country without valid documents.
Mr Nshinka said the Malawians were arrested after the department carried out routine inspections of the foreigners.
He said the 18 were currently detained at Chipata’s Namuseche Prison awaiting court hearing over their offences.
“We had an operation on Saturday and Sunday and we managed to arrest 18 Malawians for both illegal stay and entry in the country,” he said.
Meanwhile, a 70-year-old-man died after consuming a poisonous concoction prescribed by a witchdoctor.
Two others have been admitted after drinking the same medicine.
The witchdoctor identified by Police as Zakeyo Lungu, bolted after the man died.
Eastern Province Police chief Eugene Sibote named the deceased as Lastone Banda of Mtonga Farm.
The witchdoctor forced the victims to drink the concoction to prove whether or not they practiced witchcraft.
This was after the three were accused of engaging in witchcraft by unknown people and were taken to the witchdoctor.
Mr Sibote said the three vomited and had diarrhoea immediately after taking the medicine, leading to the death of Mr Banda.
“Upon noticing this, the witchdoctor fled the scene, while the three were taken to Lumezi Mission Hospital where Mr Banda was pronounced dead,” he said.