*French teen caught with suspected cannabis
A French teenager’s dream holiday to Botswana has taken a nightmare turn after he was caught in possession of suspected cannabis.
18-year-old Auren Yoland Josphat Vin had flown to Gaborone from Reunion Island alongside his girlfriend on 18th May so that they could attend her father’s wedding to a Motswana woman.
However, having been arrested and detained by the cops during a routine stop on 26th May, just two days before the wedding, the youngster missed the nuptials, his wedding cake replaced by prison pap.
Vin will also miss his flight back home, booked for Sunday 5th June, after Molepolole Magistrates’ Court saw fit to remand the Frenchman in custody until 10th June.
The teen was allegedly found with three small, colourless plastic packages in his travel bag.
He was in the passenger’s seat of a green Porsche, being driven by his girlfriend’s father, William Sisterson. The vehicle was stopped by on-duty officers in Mantsho settlement, some 10km from Molepolole, who, after requesting to see his travel documents, decided to search the car, uncovering the suspected drugs in Vin’s bag.
Arraigned before court the next day, where neither his girlfriend nor father-in-law showed up, the young European begged for forgiveness.
“My parents are not here, I only have my girlfriend’s father. I will be going back on Sunday 5th June, may the court have mercy on me. I apologise for that, I know in my country it’s illegal. It just happened that I met some people who proposed me and I got interested to try it,” explained Vin, speaking in French and doing well to fight back tears.
The unemployed foreigner also told the police he had dropped out of school because it was far from where he stayed.
Earlier on, Prosecutor, Uyapo Koketso pleaded with court for the suspect’s plea to be reserved, noting investigations were ongoing.
He requested that Vin be locked up, on the basis the exhibit was still to be taken to Forensics for analysis.
“We are also yet to establish if the accused has a place to stay if granted bail,” added the Assistant Superintendent.
Thousands of miles away from home, looking lost and frightened in a foreign land, his legs shackled together, an escorted Vin shuffled sadly to the police van waiting to transport him to prison.
