Zimdancehall artist Nyasha Reginald Mano, aka Ras Pompy, was sentenced on September 22, 2025, to six months in prison for the unlawful possession of 100 bottles of cough syrup.
He was arrested earlier on July 16, 2025, after a dramatic high-speed chase in Harare.
CID detectives spotted his black Honda Fit flagged for suspected drug distribution and signaled him to stop along Kambuzuma Road. Instead, Ras Pompy fled, but his car crashed into a metal pole in Rugare suburb where he was apprehended.
A search of his vehicle uncovered 100 bottles of assorted cough syrups, including Broncleer, Benylin, and Astra Pain – all controlled substances under the Medicines and Allied Substances Control Act.
The combined street value of the contraband was about US$396.
Harare Magistrate Mr. Gamuchirai Gore, found Ras Pompy guilty after a full trial and handed down the six-month sentence. The arrest and conviction come amid Zimbabwe’s ongoing crackdown on illegal drug distribution.
The sentence has sparked public debate over the harsh punishment for cough syrup possession contrasted with lighter penalties in some drug cases involving foreigners.
