The Thyolo Second Grade Magistrate’s Court has convicted and fined two men for cultivating cannabis without a license after police uprooted more than 1,000 plants in Lupiya Village.

The convicts — Patrick Ombwa (37) and Maxwell M’bwana (29) — were arrested following a police operation on September 30, 2025, after a tip-off led detectives to their fields. 

Police discovered 550 cannabis plants at Ombwa’s plot and 500 at M’bwana’s, all of which were uprooted and later confirmed at the Bvumbwe Research Station as cannabis.

State Prosecutor Sub Inspector Stella Mwimaniwa told the court that cultivating Cannabis Sativa without a permit was illegal and dangerous.

“The accused knowingly engaged in unlawful farming. This conduct threatens the community and undermines the law regulating cannabis,” Mwimaniwa said.

Both men pleaded guilty and asked the court for leniency. Ombwa told the court:

“I am the only breadwinner in my family and I look after orphans. I ask for mercy.”

M’bwana also pleaded for a lighter punishment, saying: “I am the caretaker of elderly relatives, and I did not realize the full weight of my actions.”

But Magistrate Thomson Sikweya ruled that their actions warranted a heavy penalty.

“Cultivating cannabis without a license in a residential area puts the community at risk. The court cannot condone this behavior,” he stressed.

The duo was each fined K400,000, or in default, face 30 months’ imprisonment with hard labour.

Ombwa hails from Ntholola Village, while M’bwana comes from Lupiya Village — both under Traditional Authority Ngolongoliwa in Thyolo District.