Police searched a home in Thifa on 21 May 2026 after a tip and found dagga packed in plastic bags, 49 sachets weighing 0.7 kg plus a one-kilogram package, according to the Lesotho News Agency. The report names the 45-year-old woman as Nobahle Mohlonyane. She was charged under section 9(1)(b) of the Drugs of Abuse Act No. 5 of 2008 for having no licence.
She pleaded guilty in Qacha's Nek Magistrate Court. The magistrate noted she was a first offender and that the plea saved court time. She said she sold it to pay her child's school fees after her small food business declined. The sentence was one year in prison or a M1,000 fine, fully suspended for one year.
Why it matters: The story is a household surviving on a small informal trade, and the court chose not to jail her. Many comparable cases end differently.
Source: Lesotho News Agency (LENA, lena.gov.ls), 2026-06-03. Forgotten Prisoner's account is based on this reporting.