2 Malawians Receive 15+ Year Sentences in Mauritius for Heroin Importation

The conviction of the Malawians comes after a court heard how the pair, a 51-year-old female farmer and a 44-year-old male driver, attempted to smuggle the drugs by ingesting them. Both have been sentenced to prison in Mauritius for importing a significant amount of heroin into the country six years ago.

Prison Sentences for Drug Couriers

On September 4, 2025, the Assizes Court handed down sentences to Alinafe Promise Tsamwa, who received 16 years, and Hakim Napwanga, who was given 15 years. In addition to their prison terms, they were each fined Rs 100,000.

The two were arrested on September 23, 2019, at Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam International Airport in Plaine-Magnien after arriving on a flight from South Africa.

Their suspicious behaviour during a profiling exercise led to their interception as they were leaving the airport via the green channel, even though no suspicious items were found in their luggage.

Under questioning, the two confessed to having swallowed pellets containing heroin. They were taken to a hospital, where they expelled the drugs under medical supervision.

Tsamwa expelled 38 pellets containing 456.8 grams of heroin, valued at an estimated Rs 6,852,000, while Napwanga expelled 25 pellets, representing 297.56 grams of heroin, with an estimated value of Rs 4,463,000.

Both defendants pleaded guilty to the charges of heroin importation and expressed remorse in court.

Motives and Court’s Decision

Napwanga explained that he became a drug mule to provide for his three children and his 80-year-old mother, citing extreme financial hardship.

Tsamwa, a widowed and unemployed woman, stated that she acted under economic duress in hopes of a better future for her children.

The judge, Luchmyparsad Aujayeb, stated in his ruling that while he considered the mitigating circumstances, guilty pleas, and cooperation with authorities, the gravity of the offence and the inherent risks of internal concealment justified the prison sentences.

Source: Defi Media