By Desmond Chingarande FORMER American soldier Ronald Leon Johnson has been fined $50 000 (equivalent to US$400) by a Harare magistrate for entering the country with a loaded pistol in breach of the immigration laws and the Firearms Act.
Johnson, who was in the country on a 30-day holiday visa, was fined by magistrate Stanford Mambanje yesterday, who found him guilty of possessing a firearm without a valid certificate.
The court heard that Johnson landed at the Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport on February 5 with his Glock 17 gen 4 pistol and three loaded magazines stashed in his suitcase.
On February 15, he checked in at the Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport intending to board a fastjet flight to Victoria Falls.
The accused had not applied for authority to carry a firearm on board an aircraft 24 hours prior to check in, in terms of section 65(3) as read with section 65(4) of the Civil Aviation (Security) Regulations, 2019.
This led to his arrest.
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