Police intercepts 218kgs dagga

ALERT Nyanga police officers last Wednesday intercepted a Toyota Wish vehicle that was ferrying seven bags of marijuana (mbanje) that had been smuggled into the country from Mozambique through an illegal entry point in Ruwangwe.

The driver of the vehicle and his passengers fled into the bushes when the police intercepted them.

All the marijuana, weighed 218kgs and with a street value of $350 000, was recovered.

Manicaland provincial police spokesperson, Inspector Tavhiringwa Kakohwa said police have launched a manhunt for the gang.

“Police in Ruwangwe received a tip-off that there was a car that was smuggling mbanje from Mozambique via an illegal entry point in Kaitano Village.

“Acting on the tip-off, Ruwangwe Police Station’s Officer-In-Charge, Inspector

Musiiwa Bere deployed his subordinates to the crime scene. The police officers waylaid the Toyota Wish, Registration Number ASF 7346 in Kaitano Village, an area which borders Mozambique and Zimbabwe,” said Inspector Kakohwa.

When the occupants of the vehicle saw the police, they got off the vehicle and took to their heels, dumping both the vehicle and the contraband.

A cellphone belonging to one of the suspects was found in the dumped vehicle.

Inspector Kakohwa said investigations are in progress.

He called on members of the public to inform the police of any suspicious activities happening in their communities, especially those in border areas where smuggling is rife.

“People should desist from smuggling things into the country. We urge members of the public to assist by continuing to report and tipping off the police on such criminal activities,” he said.