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Noleen Makhurane, Court Reporter
A POLICE officer suspended for soliciting bribes at a roadblock and then trying to swallow bank notes when he was caught has appeared in court charged with drugs possession.

Roe Junior MacDonald’s latest troubles came after he tried to extort a SWEET worth three cents from a vendor.

The dispute ended at a police station where, upon being searched, officers recovered a stash of illegal drugs in his pockets.

Yesterday, MacDonald, 28, pleaded guilty to possession of mbanje and possession of unregistered drugs before Bulawayo magistrate Evelyn Mashavakure.

The magistrate remanded him in custody to May 9 for sentencing.

The court heard that on May 1, MacDonald, a suspended police officer, approached Knowledge Manyumbe, a vendor in front of Choppies Supermarket at the intersection of Fife Street and 4th Avenue.

Magret Takawira, prosecuting, said MacDonald took out a 10c coin to buy sweets that cost 10c for three. He allegedly took four sweets instead.

“Manyumbe told Macdonald that his money could only purchase three sweets and he insisted that he was a police officer and was thus entitled to four sweets,” she said.

The prosecutor said MacDonald failed to produce his police identity card when Manyumbe demanded to see it.

The pair got into an argument and ended up at Bulawayo Central Police Station.

The court heard that upon arrival at the police station, Manyumbe told the police officers that MacDonald had said he was a police officer.

The police officer gave his name as Bushe Samson.

Takawira said MacDonald could not produce his police identity card and when the police searched him they found him in possession of 4 grammes of mbanje, 100ml of broncleer cough syrup and 4 diazepam tablets.

Broncleer is a potent cough mixture with a high alcohol content used mostly by juveniles to get a cheap high.

Diazepam is used to treat anxiety disorders, alcohol withdrawal symptoms, or muscle spasms, but it is abused on the streets as a muscle relaxant.

MacDonald was suspended from the force after allegedly trying to destroy evidence at a roadblock in Mbembesi by swallowing bribe money.