A 33-year-old Zimbabwean beautician, Sharon Chigwaza, has been sentenced to 22 years of rigorous imprisonment in India under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.
Chigwaza was arrested at Kochi airport in June 2021 with 2,910 grams of heroin hidden in a secret compartment of her trolley bag. She was caught while preparing to board an IndiGo flight to Delhi from Johannesburg via Doha.
Ernakulam Additional Sessions Judge VPM Sureshbabu sentenced her under Sections 21(c) and 23(c) of the NDPS Act for drug possession and smuggling. She was also fined ₹1.5 lakh for each charge, with an additional six-month prison term per charge if unpaid.
Chigwaza pleaded that she was merely a carrier, smuggling drugs in exchange for money to fund her medical treatment in Delhi. However, Special Public Prosecutor for the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), Adv. Sunil J., stated that her reasons were not considered.
“Chigwaza was caught with nearly 12 times the commercial quantity,” said Adv. Sunil, explaining that five grams is a small quantity while 250 grams is classified as commercial.
Indian law mandates a minimum 10-year sentence for commercial drug smuggling, with a maximum of 20 years. Taking into account her gender and background, the court sentenced her to 11 years per charge, to run concurrently, meaning she will serve 11 years.
Chigwaza, who claimed to be a refugee in South Africa, had a fraudulent refugee certificate, according to NCB officials. During questioning, she alleged that a Nigerian friend, Ifeanyi, promised her $2,000 to deliver the drugs to a lodge in Delhi, where his brother would collect them.
“This was her first trip to India,” she claimed, adding that she needed the money after suffering multiple miscarriages.
Adv. Sunil emphasised that the sentencing sends a clear message: “Regardless of nationality or circumstances, drug trafficking is a crime against the nation and will be punished.”
The court ruled that the three years and seven months Chigwaza had already spent in custody would be deducted from her sentence.
