South African faces 10 years in Zambian jail after cannabis arrest

A 33-year-old South African faces up to 10 years in prison for running an “indoor cannabis lab” in Lusaka‚ Zambia.

According to Zambia’s Drug Enforcement Commission (DEC)‚ Kabir Magan – a former pupil at Wynberg Boys High School in Cape Town – was taken into custody after a raid on his business property last Wednesday.

DEC spokesman Kamufisa Manchishi told TimesLIVE that Magan was charged with “trafficking in psychotropic drugs” and has been in custody ever since.

“It is a non-bailable offence. The suspect is expected to appear in court tomorrow [Wednesday]. Note‚ however‚ that further investigations are being carried out to ascertain the full extent of the case‚” said Manchishi via email.

He added that while he couldn’t discuss details of the case‚ he described conditions at the property.

“The lab contained an intricate system for the simulation of environmental conditions to support the plants that were being grown in polythene bags. The operation also led to the discovery of a suspected crypto-currency machine‚” he said.

He added that the country’s Narcotic and Psychotropic Substances Act stipulates that Magan could get up to 10 years in jail for a first offence. Second offences can result in a 25-year sentence.

An email to Magan’s company‚ The Energy Shop‚ went unanswered on Wednesday.

According to Magan’s LinkedIn profile‚ he is the managing director of the company‚ which has become a “trusted leader in energy efficiences and solar solutions”.