Lusaka | 14 November 2025 – The intricate investigative trail that led the Drug Enforcement Commission (DEC) to alleged drug-trafficking queenpin Khadija Agatha Mingel is now a matter of court record. In detailed testimony delivered yesterday, a DEC officer outlined a coordinated surveillance and sting operation that culminated in the arrest of the 36-year-old Kitwe businesswoman and the seizure of suspected cocaine.
Testifying before Principal Resident Magistrate Honourable Mungala at the Lusaka Magistrate’s Court, Assistant Security Officer Mr. Muzumbwe who was called as Prosecution Witness number three (PW3), recounted how the operation began with a confidential informant’s tip-off indicating that a drug transaction would take place at Sabina Puma Filling Station in Kitwe. The informant provided specific details, including that the unknown suspect would arrive in a black Toyota Mark X, registration AFB 3930.
Acting on this intelligence, a joint DEC team led by the investigator-in-charge, Mr. Bornface Mbulo, swiftly deployed to the location and established discreet surveillance and waited for the arrival of the vehicle matching the given description.
According to Mr. Muzumbwe, the vehicle arrived shortly thereafter. He testified that the driver exhibited evasive driving behaviour, repeatedly changing the parking location, then driving towards the Kalulushi Road before returning to reverse-park.
The witness told the court that a light-complexioned woman stepped out of the vehicle and briefly entered the supermarket before proceeding to an area behind the establishment. When she returned to her vehicle and started the engine, the officers moved in.
Mr. Muzumbwe testified that he approached the Toyota Mark X, displayed his identification, and knocked on the window, requesting that the suspect step out. She complied after a momentary hesitation. Mr. Mbulo then introduced the DEC team and explained the purpose of their operation.
At this point, Mr. Muzumbwe said, the suspect voluntarily disclosed that she was carrying a parcel intended for delivery. She retrieved a wrapped package from the glove compartment and handed it to Mr. Mbulo.
In full view of the suspect, Mr. Mbulo opened the parcel, which was wrapped in light-blue and black plastic secured with brown tape. Inside were separate packs. Upon opening one pack, officers found five pellets of a substance suspected to be cocaine.“She was shown what was found, and she did not say anything,” Mr. Muzumbwe testified. He added that following a verbal warn and caution, Mr. Mbulo secured both the suspected narcotics and the suspect’s iPhone 15 Pro Max.
With no female DEC officer present, the team requested the assistance of a female fuel attendant to conduct a search on the suspect’s person in a secured room at the filling station and nothing of interest was found. A subsequent search of the vehicle, conducted by Mr. Mbulo in the presence of the accused person, also yielded no additional items.
With the then suspect and the contraband secured in an operational vehicle, the witness was tasked with driving her Toyota Mark X as the team proceeded to the DEC offices in Kitwe. Upon arrival, the officers conducted a formal inventory of the suspected contraband establishing the final, crucial count of twenty-five pellets of suspected cocaine of which twenty-two were intact whilst three were broken.
Assistant Investigations Officer Ms. Christabel Jitanda testified as the fourth prosecution witness (PW4). She told the court that she received a call from Mr. Mbulo around 20:00 hours, instructing her to report to the office to witness the seizure process.
“I witnessed Mr. B. Mbulo seize the suspected twenty-five (25) pellets of cocaine found earlier with the suspect, a black Toyota Mark X registration number AFB 3930, and an iPhone 15 Pro Max mobile phone from a suspect whom I later came to know as Khadija Agatha Mingel,” Ms. Jitanda stated. She further informed Court that the suspect signed the Notice of Seizure.
She confirmed that the accused was subsequently transferred to Kitwe East Police Station for detention, after which the case officer formally took over the matter for continued investigations.
Yesterday’s testimony builds on earlier evidence. The court previously heard from Prosecution Witness 1, who sold the Toyota Mark X registration number AFB 3930, to the accused person, and Prosecution Witness 2 (PW2), Mr. Isaac Mapalo Mutampuka of M and C Company Limited/Nathan C Car-Dealership, the entity that facilitated the vehicle’s sale.
Mingel has reportedly been on the DEC watchlist for an extended period, suspected of supplying narcotics in the North-Western and Copperbelt provinces. The matter, initially filed in Kitwe, was later transferred to the Lusaka Magistrate’s Court for trial.
Presiding Principal Resident Magistrate Honourable Mungala adjourned the proceedings to 27 November 2025.
This case remains active, and further updates will follow as proceedings continue.
This article is based on information presented in court and reflects the ongoing nature of judicial proceedings. The accused is presumed innocent until proven guilty.