11:00
A prominent dealer in gems and precious metals got a rude shock when he attempted to smuggle laboratory chemicals into the country last week Friday.
Owing to the new equipment installed at the Julius Kambarage Nyerere International Airport to curb drug trafficking the Russian national, Roman Demchemko who is the Director at Goldson Company found himself before the Kisutu Resident Magistrate’s Court where he pled guilty of importing chemicals without a licence.
The charges read by Senior State Attorney Prosper Mwangamila who was assisted by Hellen Moshi who informed the court that Demchemko was arrested with a batch of Nitric acid and another of Hydrochloride which he was bringing into the country without any licence.
“The accused committed the offence contrary to section 59(1) b and 2(b) of the Industrial and Consumer Chemicals Management and Control Act of 2003,” Mwangamila told the Court.
Now granted the amount found was but minimal, a point that defence advocate Gaudioz Ishengoma used as leverage to request for lenient punishment against his client.
However, in a country where acid attacks have became the choice weapon of one too many villains, the illegal possession of these corrosive substances is cause for alarm.
Recently, several clerics and prominent figures have been victimised by the acid attacks and more recently was the incident where two British volunteers were severely burnt by some corrosive substances in Zanzibar, an incident that attracted international attention and led to the police announcement of a 100m/- bounty for information leading to the arrest of person/s responsible.
Advocate Ishengoma explained that his client had the chemicals because of his line of work, gem dealer, a profession that requires the substances to verify genuine minerals.
The dealer submitted to the court that the sum total of the chemicals in monetary terms was less than 50 Euros and magistrate Riwa fined him only 150,000/- but thanks to the equipment at JNIA, fewer people will be using the airport for trafficking, be it drugs or gold cleaning chemicals.
Owing to the new equipment installed at the Julius Kambarage Nyerere International Airport to curb drug trafficking the Russian national, Roman Demchemko who is the Director at Goldson Company found himself before the Kisutu Resident Magistrate’s Court where he pled guilty of importing chemicals without a licence.
The charges read by Senior State Attorney Prosper Mwangamila who was assisted by Hellen Moshi who informed the court that Demchemko was arrested with a batch of Nitric acid and another of Hydrochloride which he was bringing into the country without any licence.
“The accused committed the offence contrary to section 59(1) b and 2(b) of the Industrial and Consumer Chemicals Management and Control Act of 2003,” Mwangamila told the Court.
Now granted the amount found was but minimal, a point that defence advocate Gaudioz Ishengoma used as leverage to request for lenient punishment against his client.
However, in a country where acid attacks have became the choice weapon of one too many villains, the illegal possession of these corrosive substances is cause for alarm.
Recently, several clerics and prominent figures have been victimised by the acid attacks and more recently was the incident where two British volunteers were severely burnt by some corrosive substances in Zanzibar, an incident that attracted international attention and led to the police announcement of a 100m/- bounty for information leading to the arrest of person/s responsible.
Advocate Ishengoma explained that his client had the chemicals because of his line of work, gem dealer, a profession that requires the substances to verify genuine minerals.
The dealer submitted to the court that the sum total of the chemicals in monetary terms was less than 50 Euros and magistrate Riwa fined him only 150,000/- but thanks to the equipment at JNIA, fewer people will be using the airport for trafficking, be it drugs or gold cleaning chemicals.
SOURCE: THE GUARDIAN
