Copperbelt businesswoman, ‘boss lady’ faces drug trafficking trial in Lusaka

A Kitwe-based businesswoman, Khadija Mingel, popularly known as ‘Boss Lady’ on the Copperbelt, has appeared before the Lusaka Magistrate’s Court where her trial for alleged drug trafficking has commenced.

During the hearing, Pastor Chidubem Emmanuel Nwigo, 43, from the Copperbelt, testified about a Toyota Mark X linked to the case, which he said he sold through a car dealership in Kitwe before it was later found to have been involved in a drug-related incident.

Nwigo told the court that on October 15, 2024, he took his vehicle to M and C Nathan Car Dealership to sell it for K110,000, with an agreement for a 10 percent commission.

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He said after the sale was completed, he received K95,000 through a bank transfer from the dealership’s account and handed over the vehicle’s original white book.

“About seven months later, around May 2025, I received a call from a Drug Enforcement Commission (DEC) officer, Mr. Mbulo, who asked about the car I had sold. I told him I had no idea what had happened to it since the transaction was completed,” he said.

He said DEC officers later asked him to identify the vehicle, which he confirmed was the same Mark X, and he led them to the dealership in Nkana East, Kitwe, where the sale had taken place.

During cross-examination, defence lawyer Nkula Botha questioned the authenticity of the transaction, and Nwigo admitted that he had not interacted directly with the buyer, nor presented a contract bearing the buyer’s name, signature, or the agreed sale amount of K110,000.

Mingel was arrested six months ago by the Drug Enforcement Commission (DEC) after she was allegedly found in possession of 25 pellets of cocaine weighing 500 grammes.

The DEC said she had been on its watch list and was suspected of being a key supplier operating between the Copperbelt and North-Western provinces.

The case, which was initially before the Kitwe Magistrate’s Court, has since been transferred to Lusaka for trial.

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